BEIJING, May 27 -- Profits of China's major industrial firms increased 4.3 percent year on year in the first four months of the year, official data showed Monday.

The growth rate was the same as that registered in the first quarter, according to the National Bureau of Statistics.

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 2.09 trillion yuan during the January-April period.