Storyline: Profits of China's major industrial firms increased 1.9 percent year on year in the first 10 months of 2025, official data showed Thursday. The National Bureau of Statistics said the cumulative profit growth has remained positive for three consecutive months since August, underscoring steady recovery in the industrial economy. Official figures also showed industrial profits fell 5.5 percent in October from a year earlier, due to a higher base and rapidly rising financial expenses. Industrial profit figures cover firms annual main business revenue of at least 20 million yuan (about 2.8 million U.S. dollars). By sectors, mining profits fell 27.8 percent in the January-October period, though the decline narrowed from the previous nine months. Manufacturing profits climbed 7.7 percent from the previous year, while electricity, heat, gas and water supply firms posted a 9.5-percent year-on-year increase. Industrial revenues continued to expand, up 1.8 percent year on year in the first 10 months, providing support for profit recovery, the data showed. Equipment manufacturing was a major driver, with profits up 7.8 percent in the period, contributing 2.8 percentage points to the overall growth. The sector accounted for 38.5 percent of total industrial profits, up two points from a year earlier. Profits in rail, shipbuilding and aerospace jumped 32 percent, while electronics rose 12.8 percent, according to the data. Electrical machinery, general equipment and special equipment also posted solid gains of 7 percent, 6.2 percent and 5 percent, respectively. High-tech manufacturing showed robust momentum in the first 10 months, with profits up 8 percent, well above the industrial average. Smart electronics performed strongly, with profits for unmanned aerial vehicle and in-vehicle equipment makers surging 116.1 percent and 114.9 percent, respectively. Semiconductor industries also posted sharp gains, with profits in integrated circuits up 89.2 percent, electronic materials up 86 percent, and discrete semiconductor devices up 17.4 percent. Profits in precision instruments also advanced, with optical devices rising 38.2 percent and specialized instruments rising 14.1 percent. Traditional industries also showed signs of upgrading. In chemicals and building materials, profits in graphite and carbon products, biochemical pesticides and cultural information chemicals surged 77.7 percent, 73.4 percent, and 19.1 percent, respectively, far outpacing sector averages. In textiles and plastics, bio-based fibers and recycled rubber recorded 61.2 percent and 15.4 percent growth, respectively. Shotlist: FILE: Beijing, China - Date Unknown: 1. Sign of National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) FILE: Pingdingshan City, Henan Province, central China - May 2025: 2. Various of production line of pharmaceutical company, workers 3. Boxes of products on conveyor belt 4. Various of production line, workers 5. Employees working on computer FILE: Tianjin Municipality, north China - Oct 22, 2025: 6. Various of plane parts being assembled, workers Guangzhou City, Guangdong Province, south China - Recent: 7. Various of flying car production line; employees working, machinery in operation in factory FILE: China - Exact Location and Date Unknown: 8. Various of automated warehouses, machines in operation, technicians FILE: Henan Province, central China - Date Unknown: 9. Various of air conditioner production line FILE: Hefei City, Anhui Province, east China - Date Unknown: 10. Aerial shots of cityscape [Restrictions: No access Chinese mainland]