Industrial profits up 18.7%, Xi calls Lula · July 27

China reports first-half industrial profits up 18.7 percent.

Today's events

Industrial profits.
Statistics bureau reported first-half industrial profits rose 18.7% to 3.95 trillion yuan; electronics profits nearly doubled while carmakers’ fell 19.5%.¹Jul 27 · Statistics Bureau
Xi calls Lula.
Xi told Brazil’s president the two should push “greater BRICS cooperation”; Lula sought Chinese cooperation on artificial intelligence, energy and minerals.²Jul 27 · State Council
Two state-firm chiefs expelled.
The state nuclear group’s former general manager and China Resources’ former deputy chief were expelled from the Party and referred for prosecution.³Jul 25 · Discipline Commission
Patent five-year plan.
Cabinet meeting chaired by Premier Li Qiang approved the 2026–2030 plan for intellectual-property protection and use, and reviewed six national infrastructure networks.⁴Jul 25 · State Council
New U.S. tariffs.
Foreign ministry said it opposes unilateral tariffs after a fresh American round took effect covering 60 partners, adding 12.5% on Chinese goods.⁵Jul 24 · Foreign Ministry
Data centres trade power.
Three large data-centre clusters entered Guangdong’s electricity spot market as a virtual power plant — a national first, the energy administration said.⁶Jul 24 · Energy Administration
Sourcing crackdown.
Internet regulator had platforms act against 3,704 accounts that published world news without labelling where the information came from.⁷Jul 27 · Internet Regulator
Kyrgyzstan visit.
Foreign Minister Wang Yi met Kyrgyzstan’s president, who said his country had joined the new World Artificial Intelligence Cooperation Organisation founded in Shanghai.⁸Jul 26 · State Council
Small-firm privacy rules.
Internet regulator and police set lighter data rules from September for firms holding fewer than 100,000 people’s personal information, including export-review waivers.⁹Jul 24 · Internet Regulator

Voices

“Facing new circumstances and new challenges, China and Brazil, as important members of the Global South, should stand firmly on the side of history’s right course and civilisational progress.”
President Xi Jinping, call with Brazil’s President Lula · July 27²

“China’s position on China-U.S. economic and trade issues is consistent and clear: we oppose unilateral tariff measures of every kind. Tariff wars and trade wars serve no one’s interests.”
Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Lin Jian · July 24⁵

“The potential of the service sector must be fully released, support policies refined category by category, and all manner of constraints and obstacles broken down faster.”
State Council executive meeting, chaired by Premier Li Qiang · July 25⁴

“He turned the public power entrusted by the Party and the people into a tool for private gain, and took money and amassed wealth on a large scale.”
Central Commission for Discipline Inspection, on Gu Jun · July 25³

“Labelling the source of information is the basic precondition for guaranteeing that online content is true, accurate, credible and traceable.”
Cyberspace Administration of China, enforcement notice · July 27⁷

“If the electricity market is a highway network, then trading across grid operating areas amounts to different road systems becoming interconnected.”
Liu Guobin, Deputy President, China Electric Power Planning & Engineering Institute · July 24⁶

Sources

National Bureau of Statistics, “Profits of Industrial Enterprises Above Designated Size Grew 18.7 Percent in January–June 2026,” July 27, 2026. stats.gov.cn/sj/zxfb/…/industrial-profits-h1-2026
State Council (Xinhua), “Xi Jinping Holds a Telephone Call with Brazilian President Lula,” July 27, 2026. gov.cn/yaowen/liebiao/…/xi-lula-call
Central Commission for Discipline Inspection, “Gu Jun, Former Deputy Party Secretary and General Manager of China National Nuclear Corporation, Expelled from the Party,” July 25, 2026. ccdi.gov.cn/yaowenn/…/gu-jun-expelled
State Council (Xinhua), “Li Qiang Chairs a State Council Executive Meeting” (approving the 15th Five-Year Plan for Intellectual Property Protection and Utilisation), published July 25, 2026. mofcom.gov.cn/xwfb/ldrhd/…/state-council-executive-meeting
Ministry of Foreign Affairs, “Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Lin Jian's Regular Press Conference on July 24, 2026,” July 24, 2026. mfa.gov.cn/wjdt/fyrbt/…/2026-07-24-briefing
National Energy Administration, “Building of the Unified National Electricity Market Hits the Accelerator,” July 24, 2026. nea.gov.cn/20260724/…/unified-electricity-market
Cyberspace Administration of China, “Internet Regulators Act Against ‘Self-Media’ Accounts That Fail to Properly Label Information Sources,” July 27, 2026. cac.gov.cn/2026-07/27/…/self-media-source-labelling
State Council (Xinhua), “Kyrgyz President Japarov Meets Wang Yi,” published July 26, 2026. gov.cn/yaowen/liebiao/…/japarov-meets-wang-yi
Cyberspace Administration of China & Ministry of Public Security, “Provisions on Simplified Personal Information Protection Measures for Small Personal Information Processors,” July 24, 2026. cac.gov.cn/2026-07/24/…/small-processor-provisions