China's industrial profits rise 0.6% in 2025, accelerating in December as output expands despite weak demand

China's industrial profits rose 0.6% in 2025 from a year earlier, snapping three consecutive years of declines, as manufacturing output expanded despite weak domestic demand.

The pace of growth accelerated from 0.1% in the January to November period, according to data from the National Bureau of Statistics.

Industrial profits climbed 5.3% in December from a year earlier, marking the best performance since September when the earnings surged 21.6%. The earnings had faltered in October and November, falling 5.5% and 13.1% respectively.

Profits at the country's major industrial firms have been battered by the bruising price wars sweeping across several industries last year as sluggish consumer demands left companies grappling with excess capacity.

Beijing appears to be taking some comfort from the headline economic growth last year that met the official target of 5%, helped by strong export growth as a one-year U.S.-China trade truce kept higher tariffs at bay.

But economists have called for further policy support to bolster domestic demand and broad economic growth. Retail sales grew 3.7% in 2025 from a year earlier, lagging behind the overall economic growth and a 5.9% expansion in industrial output.

At a press briefing on Monday, Yang Mu, an official at the Chinese Commerce Ministry, said Beijing will step up efforts in boosting household spending for cars, home appliances, and electronic goods, while targeting consumption in the services sector.

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