China’s industrial profits contract in August as economy battles slow growth amid trade war with US
- Profits at China’s large industrial firms fell 2 per cent in August, with a year-to-date decline of 1.7 per cent
- The National Bureau of Statistics blamed slowing sales, a drop in product prices and super typhoons that impacted manufacturing

Profits at China’s large industrial firms dropped 2 per cent in August, with a year-to-date decline of 1.7 per cent, as the world’s second largest economy battles slow growth amid a trade war with the United States.
The contraction followed a brief recovery in July, when industrial profits rose 2.6 per cent year-on-year, according to data from the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS).
The NBS said August’s decline was largely driven by slowing sales, a drop in product prices and super typhoons that impacted manufacturing in China.
Overall industrial profits were driven by the private sector, which saw gains of 6.5 per cent to 1.13 trillion yuan (US$158 billion) between January and August, slowing from 7 per cent growth in the first seven months of the year.