Data released by the National Bureau of Statistics on the 15th showed that in August this year, production and supply grew steadily, employment and prices were generally stable, foreign trade grew rapidly, and the supporting role of new driving forces increased. The national economy continued to be generally stable and develop toward new and positive trends.
Fu Linghui, spokesperson, chief economist and director of the National Economic Comprehensive Statistics Department of the National Bureau of Statistics, said that judging from the main indicators in August, the economic operation mainly showed the characteristics of “three stability and two speed”.
On September 11, in the body shop of Wuling New Energy Automobile Co., Ltd. in Liuzhou, Guangxi, robots worked on the production line. Published by Xinhua News Agency (Photo by Zhao Jingwu)
“Three Stabilities” are reflected in stable production, stable employment, and stable prices.
“The first is stable production. In August, the added value of industrial enterprises above designated size and the service industry production index increased by 5.2% and 4.1% respectively, maintaining overall stability.” Fu Linghui said.
Data show that despite the difficulties and challenges faced, with the efforts of all parties, the added value of industrial enterprises above designated size and the service industry production index increased by 5.3% and 4.7% respectively from January to August. my country’s economic growth rate is expected to continue to be higher than that of the world’s major developed economies.
On August 14, at the 2026 special job fair for college graduates and key groups in Rugao City, Jiangsu Province, job seekers learned about job information from employers. Published by Xinhua News Agency (Photo by Wu Shujian)
“The second is stable employment. Stable production has laid a good foundation for stable employment.” Fu Linghui said, “In August, the national urban surveyed unemployment rate was 5.3%, an increase of 0.1 percentage points from the previous month, mainly due to the seasonal impact of new graduates entering the labor market. The urban surveyed unemployment rate from the main employment group, that is, the main part of the labor force aged 30-59, was 3.9%, which was the same as last month and the same period last year, maintaining overall stability.”
Although employment in some industries has decreased year-on-year due to structural adjustment factors, employment in my country’s manufacturing industry is generally stable, and employment in the information transmission software and information technology services industries has increased significantly. Driven by the development of domestic culture, tourism and leisure, employment in the accommodation and catering industry continues to expand, playing an important role in employment stability.
On September 15, citizens were shopping for fruits in a supermarket in Haizhou District, Lianyungang City, Jiangsu Province. Published by Xinhua News Agency (Photo by Geng Yuhe)
“The third is price stability. Stable production also creates favorable conditions for price stability. In August, consumer prices rose by 0.8% year-on-year, and industrial producer prices rose by 3.8%, which is at a relatively stable level by international comparison.” Fu Linghui said.
Since the beginning of this year, inflation levels in major developed economies have increased significantly. Judging from our country’s situation, in the face of such pressure and challenges, our country has actively increased efforts to ensure market supply, strengthened the production of people’s livelihood commodities, effectively guaranteed market supply, and promoted price stability.
Ye Maosheng, a professor at Hubei University Business School, said that “the three basic indicators of production, employment, and prices remain stable at the same time, leaving enough policy space and room for maneuver to deal with uncertainty. This is the prerequisite for all development. The ‘three stability’ has a solid foundation. It is not a stable indicator that is isolated from each other, but a chain that supports each other. This is where its gold content lies.”
In the Shijingshan Embodied Intelligent Training Center located in Shougang Park, staff are collecting robot data in industrial scenarios (photographed on September 10, 2026). Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Ju Huanzong
“Two fast” refers to the rapid growth of emerging industries and the rapid growth of import and export.
“The first is the rapid growth of emerging industries.” Fu Linghui said, “In August, the added value of high-tech manufacturing and digital product manufacturing above designated size increased by 16.7% and 15.7% respectively year-on-year. New driving forces contributed more than 60% to the growth of industries above designated size and are continuing to increase. The production index of information transmission, software and information technology service industries increased by 9.6%, and their contribution to the growth of the service industry production index also exceeded 20%.”
With the integrated development of technological innovation and industrial innovation, the deepening of green transformation, and the acceleration of global artificial intelligence development and energy transformation, my country’s emerging industries represented by high-tech manufacturing, digital manufacturing, and information technology services have developed rapidly, making important contributions to accelerating the conversion of old and new driving forces and improving the quality of development.
On September 15, at the Yangzhou Port Terminal in Jiangsu Province, freighters were loading and unloading containers (drone photo). Published by Xinhua News Agency (Photo by Meng Delong)
“The second is the rapid growth of imports and exports.” Fu Linghui said, “Relying on a complete industrial system, continuously improving technical capabilities and product quality, insisting on expanding economic and trade exchanges with countries around the world on the basis of mutual benefit and win-win results, actively expanding imports, and promoting the balanced development of foreign trade, my country’s imports and exports of goods have maintained rapid growth.”
Data show that in August, the total import and export of goods increased by 19.8% year-on-year. From the perspective of exports, my country’s exports of green products such as new energy vehicles and lithium batteries have grown rapidly, which has effectively promoted the development of global green transformation. From the perspective of imports, my country’s imports from developing countries such as ASEAN, Africa, and Latin America have increased significantly, providing new opportunities for the industrial development of developing countries.
On June 30, staff debugged industrial robots in the production workshop of Nanjing Estun Automation Co., Ltd. located in Jiangning District, Nanjing City. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Lu Peng
Fu Linghui said, “Taken together, despite the turbulent external environment and many unstable and uncertain factors, our country’s economy has overcome difficulties and maintained stable operation. New driving forces have accumulated and grown, showing strong resilience and vitality, and becoming an important growth pole and stable anchor for global development.”
“‘Three Stables and Two Fasts’ demonstrate the resilience and transformation determination of the Chinese economy.” Ye Maosheng, a professor at Hubei University Business School, believes, “In the next stage, the key is to maintain the foundation of ‘stable’, consolidate the momentum of ‘fast’, and make up for the shortcomings in demand: focus on expanding domestic demand, especially the potential for service consumption, and continue to cultivate and strengthen new productive forces. The foundation for China’s economy to continue to improve and improve will be more solid.”
On September 15, a batch of new energy vehicles waited for shipment for export at Yantai Port, Shandong Port (drone photo). Published by Xinhua News Agency (Photo by Tang Ke)
Coordinator: Wu Weiling
Director: Dong Linna
Reporters: Fang Yadong, Hou Wenkun
Voiced by: Hu Hanbo
