ECONOMY

China Investment Rebounds on Infrastructure Surge

Published: Mar. 16, 2026 4:08 p.m. GMT+8

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China’s fixed-asset investment returned to growth in the first two months of this year, beating expectations as infrastructure spending jumped.

Fixed-asset investment rose 1.8% year-on-year in the period, data released Monday by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) showed. Economists surveyed by Caixin had expected an average contraction of 3.7%.

China Fixed-Asset Investment Returns to Growth

Infrastructure investment was the main driver, jumping 11.4% and contributing about 3 percentage points to overall investment growth. NBS spokesperson Fu Linghui said the increase reflected the launch of major projects tied to the start of China’s 15th Five-Year Plan (2026-2030).

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Explore the story in 30 seconds

China’s fixed-asset investment rose 1.8% year-on-year in Jan-Feb 2024, defying expectations of a 3.7% contraction.
Infrastructure investment surged 11.4%, mainly driving overall growth, boosted by projects linked to the 15th Five-Year Plan.
Manufacturing investment increased 3.1%, while real estate investment and home sales continued to decline.

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