Beijing, China - March 16, 2026 (CCTV - No access Chinese mainland)
1. Press conference in progress
2. Reporters
3. SOUNDBITE (Chinese) Fu Linghui, spokesman, National Bureau of Statistics:
"From January to February, China's fixed-asset investment (excluding rural households) reached 5.2721 trillion yuan (about 764 billion U.S. dollars), up 1.8 percent year on year, a notable turnaround from the 3.8-percent decline recorded for the full year 2025. Excluding real estate development investment, nationwide fixed-asset investment increased by 5.2 percent in the first two months of 2026."

FILE: Nanjing City, Jiangsu Province, east China - Jan 7-8, 2026 (CCTV - No access Chinese mainland)
4. Aerial shots of high-speed railway under construction

FILE: China - Date Unknown (CCTV - No access Chinese mainland)
5. Various of plant under construction, tower cranes, machinery, trucks operating
6. Various of water conservancy project under construction, tunnel, workers

Beijing, China - March 16, 2026 (CCTV - No access Chinese mainland)
7. SOUNDBITE (Chinese) Fu Linghui, spokesman, National Bureau of Statistics:
"The average surveyed urban unemployment rate held steady at 5.3 percent for January-February, matching the same period of last year. The February rate ticked up slightly to 5.3 percent, 0.1 percentage points higher than January."

FILE: Urumqi City, Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, northwest China - 2026 (CCTV - No access Chinese mainland)
8. Various of job fair; job seekers walking, talking with employers; employers introducing positions

FILE: Zhengzhou City, Henan Province, central China - Date Unknown (CCTV - No access Chinese mainland)
9. Various of graduate students talking to employers at youth talent market

China's economy started the year on a firm footing, with fixed-asset investment turning positive and the labor market maintaining overall stability in January and February, said a spokesman for the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) on Monday.

Fu Linghui, the NBS spokesman and chief economist, made the statements at a press conference in Beijing on China's national economic performance in the first two months of this year.

"From January to February, China's fixed-asset investment (excluding rural households) reached 5.2721 trillion yuan (about 764 billion U.S. dollars), up 1.8 percent year on year, a notable turnaround from the 3.8-percent decline recorded for the full year 2025. Excluding real estate development investment, nationwide fixed-asset investment increased by 5.2 percent in the first two months of 2026," said Fu.

Sector-wise, infrastructure investment surged 11.4 percent during the period, manufacturing investment grew by a moderate 3.1 percent, while real estate development investment continued to contract, falling 11.1 percent, according to Fu.

By industry, primary industry investment jumped 17.4 percent, secondary industry investment rose 5.4 percent, while tertiary industry investment edged down 0.4 percent.

Meanwhile, China's foreign trade posted strong gains, with total goods imports and exports reaching 7.73 trillion yuan (about 1.12 trillion U.S. dollars) in the first two months, up 18.3 percent year on year, an acceleration of 13.4 percentage points compared to December of last year, said Fu.

Exports grew 19.2 percent to 4.62 trillion yuan (about 669 billion U.S. dollars), while imports increased 17.1 percent to 3.11 trillion yuan (about 451 billion U.S. dollars).

Fu noted that the labor market remained broadly stable.

"The average surveyed urban unemployment rate held steady at 5.3 percent for January-February, matching the same period of last year. The February rate ticked up slightly to 5.3 percent, 0.1 percentage points higher than January," he said.

On the price front, the consumer price index (CPI) rose 0.8 percent year on year for the first two months, with January up 0.2 percent and February accelerating to 1.3 percent, signaling a modest recovery in domestic demand.

In the same period, producer prices showed signs of stabilization with the producer price index (PPI) falling by 1.2 percent year on year, but the decline narrowed from 1.4 percent in January to 0.9 percent in February, said the official.