Customers shop at a supermarket in Huai'an, East China's Jiangsu Province, on May 21, 2026. Photo: VCG

Chinese economy maintained steady growth momentum in the first five months of the year, with retail sales reaching 20.6 trillion yuan ($2.87 trillion), up 1.4 percent year-on-year, while value-added industrial output of enterprises above the designated size expanded by 5.4 percent, the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) said on Tuesday.

Retail sales of goods excluding automobiles totaled 19 trillion yuan during the January-May period, rising by 2.7 percent from a year earlier. 

In May alone, retail sales stood at 4.11 trillion yuan, down 0.6 percent year-on -year. Excluding automobile sales, retail sales rose by 1.1 percent to reach 3.78 trillion yuan.

By consumption category, retail sales of goods reached 18.25 trillion yuan in the first five months, up 1.2 percent year-on-year, while catering revenue went up 3.1 percent to 2.35 trillion yuan, indicating continued resilience in services-related consumption.

Industrial production has remained a key driver of China's economic growth. In May, value-added industrial output of enterprises above the designated size rose by 4.5 percent year-on-year, accelerating by 0.4 percentage points from the pace seen in April.

Breaking down the data by industrial sectors, value-added output in the mining industry rose 2.3 percent year-on-year in May. Manufacturing output rose by 4.4 percent, while the production and supply of public utilities, including electricity, heat, gas and water, grew by 7.6 percent, indicating solid momentum in both industrial activity and consumer demand.

Industrial enterprises also maintained stable sales. In May, the sales ratio of industrial enterprises above the designated size stood at 96.0 percent, down by 0.1 percentage points from a year earlier. Meanwhile, the value of exported goods reached 1.39 trillion yuan, representing a year-on-year increase of 10.1 percent, underscoring the resilience of China's manufacturing sector despite a complex global trade environment.

Global Times