Recent data from the National Information Center indicates a steady recovery and an increasing number of positive signals across various leading indicators, including foreign trade and investment, during the first half of the year. Supported by proactive and effective macroeconomic policies, the resilience of the economy is continuously strengthening.

Key Leading Indicators Stabilize and Rebound, Positive Signals Multiply

From January to June, the average daily container throughput at national ports increased by 6.7% year-on-year, while the average daily cargo throughput rose by 1.3%. Port activity continues to climb, with both import and export sectors showing simultaneous recovery.

During the same period, the production activity index for industrial parks grew by 3.9% compared to the previous year. The business vitality of start-up enterprises increased by 1.0%, while that of technology innovation-driven enterprises rose by 3.1%.

Patent authorizations related to strategic emerging industries saw a 15.6% year-on-year increase from January to June, with growth accelerating notably to 30.3% in June alone. In the first half of the year, patent authorizations related to artificial intelligence surged by 34.8% year-on-year, reaching 38.3% growth in June.

Investment in cutting-edge fields experienced explosive growth in the first six months, becoming a core driver for stabilizing overall investment. While the issuance amount of national special-purpose bonds decreased by 4.3% year-on-year from January to June, capital investment in frontier areas such as artificial intelligence and humanoid robots skyrocketed by 118.4%. The contract award value for digital infrastructure projects, including computing power, increased by 23.0%.

Offline Consumption Steadily Improves, Experiential Spending Emerges as Growth Engine

Data also reveals a steady recovery in offline consumption during the first half of the year. Nationwide, foot traffic in offline commercial districts grew by 5.7% year-on-year from January to June, and offline consumption payment amounts increased by 2.7%. Electronic goods consumption performed particularly well, with a 9.5% rise. The notable enhancement in offline customer activity signals a gradual return of vitality to physical commerce.

Holidays consistently drove growth in service consumption. Boosted successively by the Spring Festival, Qingming, May Day, and Dragon Boat Festival holidays, consumption heat related to culture, tourism, transportation, and catering remained high in the first half, increasing by 6.1% and 4.9% year-on-year, respectively. The holiday effect spurred an explosion in experiential demand, reflecting a shift in consumption patterns from purchasing products to buying experiences and services.

E-commerce Logistics Index Rises for Fourth Consecutive Month, Online Market Warms, Quality Consumption Rises

Looking at the trend for the first half, the e-commerce logistics index has risen month-on-month for four consecutive months. As of June 30, China's express delivery business volume has exceeded 100 billion pieces. Both the total business volume of e-commerce logistics and the rural business volume of e-commerce logistics have maintained growth rates above 20%.

In the first half of the year, consumption enthusiasm was high for smart wearables, household robots, and health and wellness smart devices. Smart home appliances, household appliances, and digital products also performed exceptionally well. Additionally, online sales of products such as air circulation fans, ice makers, pet food, and fitness climbing machines achieved significant growth.

With the comprehensive implementation of policies promoting digital empowerment, e-commerce logistics companies are encountering new development opportunities. Competition among enterprises is gradually shifting from vicious price wars towards intelligent cost reduction and efficiency enhancement. Technologies like intelligent customer service, AI-powered product selection, intelligent sorting, and smart warehousing are becoming widely adopted. Intelligent technology has become a standard tool for e-commerce logistics firms, driving continuous improvement in metrics such as logistics timeliness, fulfillment rates, and customer satisfaction, thereby enhancing the overall service quality of e-commerce logistics.

Railway Passenger Traffic Reaches 2.348 Billion, Up 5% in First Half

National railway passenger traffic reached 2.348 billion person-times in the first half of the year, marking a 5% increase year-on-year. Several railway passenger transport indicators reached new highs during this period.

Railway passenger transport capacity supply was precise and efficient, successfully completing transportation organization for the Spring Festival travel rush, as well as the Qingming, May Day, and Dragon Boat Festival holidays, effectively meeting holiday travel demand. Multiple passenger transport indicators set new records. On May 1, national railway passenger traffic reached 24.844 million person-times, setting a new historical single-day record. The China-Laos Railway carried 188,000 cross-border passengers, a 25.9% year-on-year increase. The Guangzhou-Shenzhen-Hong Kong High-Speed Railway transported 16.962 million cross-border passengers, up 13.8%.

In the first half, authorities fully utilized big data from the Railway 12306 ticketing and waitlist purchase system to dynamically analyze travel demand, promptly increasing transport capacity on popular routes and sections. Nationally, an average of 11,468 passenger train services were operated daily, an increase of 630 services or 5.8% compared to the previous year. Actively adapting to the growth in passenger flow brought by the national transit visa-free policy to facilitate travel for foreign passengers, national railways served 12.314 million foreign passenger trips, a significant 33.6% year-on-year increase.