China's industrial profits grew at their strongest pace since June, as a boom in manufacturing tied to artificial intelligence offset drag from persistently weak domestic demand.
Profits at large industrial firms rose 14.4% last month from a year earlier, official data released Tuesday showed. For the first nine months of this year, industrial profits climbed 15.5%, slightly below the 15.7% rise in the January-September period.
The strength comes as industrial earnings swung to double-digit growth earlier this year, following a modest gain in 2025 after three straight years of declines, helped by Beijing's efforts to curb rampant price wars across sectors and surging demand for AI-related equipment.
The global AI boom and higher commodity prices stemming from the war in Iran have lifted earnings at miners, chipmakers and raw-material suppliers this year, even as downstream manufacturers face rising input costs and weak domestic demand.
Earnings growth in high-tech sectors, such as AI and robotics, has been outperforming profits in consumer-related industries, including clothing, autos and furniture.