China’s fixed-asset investment surged by 4.1% year-on-year in the first two months of 2025, marking a promising start to the year for the nation’s economy, according to official data released on Monday.
The total investment reached approximately 5.26 trillion yuan (about $734 billion) during the January-February period, the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) reported. This growth rate is 0.9 percentage points higher than the full-year growth rate of 2024.
Breaking down the sectors, investment in infrastructure construction rose by 5.6%, while manufacturing investment increased by 9%. However, investment in property development experienced a decline of 9.8%. Excluding the property sector, the country’s fixed-asset investment saw a robust increase of 8.4%.
In addition to investment growth, China’s retail sales of consumer goods, a key indicator of consumption strength, climbed 4% year-on-year in the first two months, exceeding 8.37 trillion yuan (about $1.17 trillion). Excluding automobile sales, retail sales reached over 7.68 trillion yuan, registering a 4.8% increase compared to the same period last year, according to the NBS.
The figures suggest a steady recovery and resilience in China’s economy, with significant contributions from infrastructure and manufacturing sectors, despite challenges in the property market.
