Industry & Information Technology: Ministry: industrial growth stable in 1st half of 2019

World
Europe

Chinese officials say the operation of its industrial sector saw steady and stable progress during the first half of 2019. And the nation's information technology sector saw a fast growth and played an important role in supporting the country's economy and society. CGTN's Zheng Yibing has the details.

China's industrial sector achieved the highest anticipated goals for the first half of the year. Officials say the added value of industries above a designated scale increased by six percent year-on-year.

XIN GUOBIN, VICE MINISTER CHINA'S MINISTRY OF INDUSTRY & INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY "We see high-quality development of manufacturing as the most important support for stable growth. We also continuously promote independent innovation, push forward optimization and upgrade the industrial structure, striving hard to achieve new momentum."

At the same time, China's investment in industrial upgrades increased by over 13 percent. And by the end of June, China had cleared up debt worth over 55 billion US dollars for private and small and medium-sized enterprises. The nation also made efforts to reverse the negative effects from business friction with the United States.

HUANG LIBIN, SPOKESPERSON CHINA'S MINISTRY OF INDUSTRY & INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY "Our measures include tax sheltering for Integrated Circuit Design and software enterprises that are more affected by the frictions."

For fast growth of the communication industry, China has stepped up using its own technology. The nation recently issued 5G commercial licenses, while vowing to cooperate with others.

WEN KU, SPOKESPERSON CHINA'S MINISTRY OF INDUSTRY & INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY "We will work with all countries to guarantee the safety of 5G and to promote the safety of this industry. This is the idea we have always had and the practice we have always held."

Officials also say that China faces relatively big pressure in exports and continuous growth in some sectors, but they say the nation will try harder.

ZHENG YIBING BEIJING "The ministry says its next steps will be to continue prioritizing high-quality development, and provide strong support for a steady and healthy national economy. Zheng Yibing, CGTN, Beijing."