China's equipment industry value added up 7.1% in first three quarters, ministry says
In short
At a State Council Information Office press conference on 20 October, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology said equipment industry value added rose 7.1% year on year in the first three quarters of 2026. The sector contributed 26.6% of industrial growth, and national shipbuilding completions rose 50.7%.
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The State Council Information Office held a press conference on 20 October on industrial and information technology development in the first three quarters of 2026. The Ministry of Industry and Information Technology said equipment industry value added rose 7.1% year on year and contributed 26.6% of industrial growth. [ 2 , 3 , 4 ]
Output of industrial robots, CNC machine tools and new energy vehicles rose 29.1%, 13.5% and 11% year on year, and national shipbuilding completions rose 50.7%. 36Kr, citing Securities Times, quoted ministry chief engineer Wang Weiming (王卫明) as saying the equipment industry's ballast role had continued to be consolidated. [ 2 , 3 , 4 ]
The briefing summarised the sector's operation in three words meaning stable, new and intelligent. Under the second, products, it listed a digital metro train with embodied intelligence shown at the Berlin rail transport exhibition in September, robots working as shop assistants, and a second domestically built large cruise ship, Aida Huacheng (爱达·花城号), due to be delivered soon. It also said construction had started in China on a 271,000 cubic metre LNG carrier, described as the world's largest, and that 25 brands from 16 Chinese carmakers showed new vehicles at the Paris motor show that had just closed. [ 3 ]
On manufacturing, the briefing said an "AI plus manufacturing" action was being implemented. A domestically developed AI direct-drive CNC machine tool had made a breakthrough, with overall performance 30% to 60% above the national standard. More than 13,000 advanced-level and over 500 excellent-level smart factories had been built, and 15 leading-level smart factories were being cultivated. [ 3 ]
For the next stage, the ministry said it would work on expanding demand, improving supply and strengthening the industry's ecosystem. Measures listed included technical upgrades and equipment renewal, major equipment research projects, and comprehensive handling of irrational competition. The Jiemian text is credited to CCTV News. [ 3 ]
Why it matters
The figures are official statements from a press conference, and the outlets reported them without independent comment. They show how the ministry describes the state of equipment manufacturing, including robots, machine tools, electric vehicles and shipbuilding.
Key facts
- The State Council Information Office held a press conference on 20 October on industrial and IT development in the first three quarters of 2026. [ 2 , 3 , 4 ]
- Equipment industry value added rose 7.1% year on year in the first three quarters. [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 ]
- The equipment industry contributed 26.6% of industrial growth. [ 2 , 3 , 4 ]
- Output of industrial robots, CNC machine tools and new energy vehicles rose 29.1%, 13.5% and 11% year on year. [ 2 , 3 , 4 ]
- National shipbuilding completions rose 50.7% year on year. [ 2 , 3 , 4 ]
- The ministry summarised the sector's operation with three words, meaning stable, new and intelligent. [ 2 , 3 ]
Confirmed by several sources
Still unclear
- Details of product launches, smart factory counts and the ministry's next steps. Only Jiemian, citing CCTV News, gave these; the other documents carry only the headline figures.
- Comparison base for the growth rates. The documents say only that the figures are year on year.