National Bureau of Statistics: in the first quarter, the production of 3D printing equipment, lithium-ion batteries, and industrial robots increased by 54.0%, 40.8%, and 33.2% respectively compared to the same period last year.

Deputy Director Mao Shengyong of the National Bureau of Statistics stated at a press conference on the 16th that in the first quarter, the added value of industrial enterprises above designated size increased by 6.1% year-on-year, accelerating by 1.1 percentage points from the fourth quarter of the previous year. Breaking it down into three major categories, the added value of mining industry increased by 6.0% year-on-year, manufacturing industry grew by 6.4%, and the electricity, heat, gas, and water production and supply industry increased by 4.3%. The added value of equipment manufacturing industry rose by 8.9% year-on-year, with high-tech manufacturing industry increasing by 12.5%, outpacing the overall added value of industrial enterprises above designated size by 2.8 and 6.4 percentage points respectively. In terms of economic type, the added value of state-owned enterprises increased by 4.8% year-on-year; that of joint-stock enterprises increased by 6.6%, foreign-funded and companies from Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan increased by 3.9%; and private enterprises increased by 6.1%. In terms of products, the output of 3D printing equipment, lithium-ion batteries, and industrial robots increased by 54.0%, 40.8%, and 33.2% respectively year-on-year. In March, the added value of industrial enterprises above designated size increased by 5.7% year-on-year, with a month-on-month growth of 0.28%. In March, the purchasing managers' index for manufacturing was 50.4%, up by 1.4 percentage points from the previous month; and the index for enterprises' production and operation expectations was 53.4%. In January and February, the total profits of industrial enterprises above designated size nationwide reached 1.0246 trillion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 15.2%.