China says investment still has ample room for growth

2026.04.16 China still has ample room for investment growth, a senior official said on Thursday, citing structural imbalances in the economy. Speaking at a press briefing, MAO Shengyong, deputy director of the National Bureau of Statistics, said fixed-asset investment rose 1.7% year-on-year in the first quarter, compared with a 3.8% decline in 2025. Infrastructure investment grew 8.9%, accelerating by 8.3 percentage points from last year, while manufacturing investment showed a steady recovery. MAO said China's per capita capital stock still lags that of developed economies, reflecting persistent structural imbalances and leaving ample room for further investment. He added that emerging sectors, including aerospace and information services, were becoming new growth drivers, with high-tech manufacturing investment rising 5.2% in the first quarter.