BEIJING, Aug. 27 -- Profits of China's major industrial firms decreased 1.7 percent year on year in the first seven months of 2025, official data showed Wednesday.

Industrial firms with an annual main business revenue of at least 20 million yuan (about 2.81 million U.S. dollars) saw their combined profits reach 4.02 trillion yuan during the January-July period, according to the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS).

In July, profits of major industrial firms slipped 1.5 percent compared to a year earlier, with the decline narrowing by 2.8 percentage points compared to the figure registered in June. Profits of major firms in the manufacturing sector increased 6.8 percent, accelerating from a rise of 1.4 percent in June, the data showed.