BEIJING, May 18 (Xinhua) -- China's value-added industrial output increased by 5.6 percent year on year in the first four months of 2026, official data showed on Monday.

In April alone, industrial output grew 4.1 percent year on year, and rose 0.05 percent compared to the previous month, according to data released by the National Bureau of Statistics.

The industrial output is used to measure the activity of large enterprises each with an annual main business turnover of at least 20 million yuan (about 2.92 million U.S. dollars).

In terms of sectors, the value added output of the mining sector increased by 5.5 percent year on year in the first four months of the year, while that of the manufacturing sector grew by 5.8 percent. The value-added output of the electricity, heat, gas and water production and supply sectors went up by 4.5 percent, the data showed. ■