A worker conducts production and testing of lithium battery products at a lithium company in Ji"an, East China"s Jiangxi Province, on March 1, 2026. The production lines are operating at full capacity to ensure supply, exemplifying the bustling manufacturing activity across the region. Photo: VCG

　　China’s National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) released April economic data on Monday, pointing to steady economic momentum in the first four months of the year and continued gains in high-quality development despite external uncertainties.

　　Chinese analysts said the data suggest that China’s economy has carried forward its stronger-than-expected first-quarter momentum, with industrial upgrading and structural improvement continuing to support resilience.

　　In the first four months, value-added industrial output above designated size rose 5.6 percent year-on-year in real terms, meaning the growth rate was calculated after adjusting for price factors, Fu Linghui, spokesperson of the NBS, chief economist and director-general of the Department of Comprehensive Statistics of the NBS, told a press briefing on Monday.

　　Among major industrial categories, equipment manufacturing and high-tech manufacturing remained key bright spots, rising 8.7 percent and 12.6 percent year-on-year, respectively, both faster than overall industrial output growth.

　　By product, output of 3D printing equipment surged 50.9 percent, lithium-ion batteries rose 36.0 percent and industrial robots increased 25.7 percent, highlighting what analysts said the continued expansion of advanced manufacturing and the strengthening of new growth drivers.

　　In April, value-added industrial output above designated size increased 4.1 percent year-on-year, with growth recorded in 29 of the 41 major industrial categories.