A production line runs at full throttle in Yangquan city. [Photo/Yellow River News]

According to the Yangquan municipal bureau of statistics, from January to April this year, the city – located in North China's Shanxi province – experienced a significant surge in manufacturing investment, which grew by 48.4 percent.

This represented an acceleration of 1.4 percentage points on the growth rate in the first quarter.

The growth spurt is being attributed to the rapid advancement of key projects such as the 10 gigawatt hour solid-state lithium (sodium) ion battery production line and the Yangquan High-Tech Industrial Development Zone East Logistics Production and Processing Industrial Park.

These projects are known to have played a pivotal role in stabilizing and expanding manufacturing investment, helping to drive high-quality development in the sector.

Manufacturing investment constituted 16.7 percent of Yangquan's total investment in the four months, up 6.8 percentage points from the same period last year. This substantial increase boosted the city's overall investment by 4.8 percentage points.

A breakdown by industry reveals that eight sectors achieved positive growth – with electrical machinery and equipment manufacturing investment soaring by 547.2 percent, accounting for 24.5 percent of the city's total manufacturing investment.

The waste resource utilization industry saw astonishing growth of 47,541 percent, making up 8.0 percent of the sector's investment. These two industries alone are said to have significantly driven overall investment – contributing 4.2 and 9.4 percentage points, respectively, to total and industrial investment growth in the period.

The impressive figures are understood to underscore Yangquan's commitment to bolstering its manufacturing base and highlight the city's strategic efforts in fostering an environment that is conducive to industrial growth and innovation.