National Bureau of Statistics: New economic drivers continue to grow and strengthen, increasingly shouldering the main beam of China's economy.

On July 15, Mao Shengyong, Deputy Director of the National Bureau of Statistics, stated at a press conference of the State Council Information Office that, according to preliminary estimates, in the first half of this year, new drivers of economic growth such as high-end manufacturing, digital economy, and modern services contributed more than 40% to the economic growth in the first half of the year. The characteristics of the economy shifting towards new and better are very prominent, and the overall development trend is accelerating. For example, in the first half of the year, the value added of high-tech manufacturing above a certain scale increased by 13.3% year-on-year, with the value added of aerospace and equipment manufacturing and electronic and communication equipment industries growing by 16.3% and 17% respectively. Industries related to artificial intelligence such as integrated circuit manufacturing and smart vehicle equipment manufacturing maintained growth rates of over 30%. At the same time, the pace of green transformation is accelerating, with the retail penetration rate of new energy vehicles exceeding 60% for three consecutive months in the first half of the year, driving a 39.3% increase in lithium ion battery production. In recent years, the pace of transition from old to new drivers of economic growth has accelerated, with new drivers continuously growing and increasingly shouldering the main responsibilities of the Chinese economy.