For the first four months of the year, industrial profits rose 18.2%<\/a>, up from 15.5% growth in the first quarter. Computing and electronics equipment manufacturing, the largest sector by profit amount, saw earnings more than double from a year ago, although the pace slowed slightly in April from March on a year-to-date basis.<\/p>\n Among the ten largest sectors by profit, the\u00a0oil and gas extraction industry posted an 8.1% rise in profits in the first four months of the year, reversing a 1.4% decline in the first quarter. <\/p>\n Higher crude prices helped lift profits in the petroleum processing industry to 40.42 billion yuan ($5.96 billion) in the January-April period, nearly double the 22.94 billion yuan recorded as of March.<\/p>\n Profits for automobile manufacturers fell 16.8% in the same period from a year earlier, improving from a 17.7% decline in the first quarter.<\/p>\n Beijing’s efforts to address excessive competition<\/a> in the automobile and other sectors are starting to bear fruit, EU Chamber of Commerce of China President Jens Eskelund told reporters on Tuesday, citing a survey of members<\/a> earlier in the year. But he cautioned it would take another year or two to confirm the trend.<\/p>\n A fivefold increase in profits in the mining and related sectors also boosted overall industrial profit growth, while iron smelting and rolling swung to a profit for the year as of April, compared with a loss in the first quarter.<\/p>\n However, profit declines in furniture manufacturing steepened to 54.4% for the first four months of the year, worse than the 44.9% recorded as of March.<\/p>\n “China’s industrial profit growth accelerated sharply in April, driven primarily by rising producer prices amid the global energy shock,” Hao Zhou, head of research and chief economist at Guotai Junan International.<\/p>\n “However, the improvement in profitability appears uneven and potentially fragile. Profit gains are concentrated in upstream and high-tech sectors, while many other industries continue to struggle,” he said in a note.<\/p>\n China reported slower economic growth in April<\/a>, with a 4.1% increase in industrial output and a 0.2% rise in retail sales from a year ago. Fixed asset investment fell for the first four months of the year as the real estate drag steepened.<\/p>\n Exports remained strong<\/a>, climbing 14.1% in April from a year ago in U.S. dollar terms. Imports surged by 25.3%<\/a>, data released earlier in May showed.<\/p>\n The producer price index in April jumped 2.8% from a year ago, the most since July 2022<\/a>.<\/p>\n![\"China’s](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/108312266-1779848851258-1779846604-46185150095-hd.jpg\")
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