Business Brief (March 17): China’s Economic Data Beat Expectations in First Two Months

Published: Mar. 17, 2026 4:31 p.m. GMT+8

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China’s economic indicators beat expectations in first two months

China’s key economic indicators for the January-February period exceeded market expectations, according to data released Monday by the National Bureau of Statistics. Value-added industrial output grew 6.3% year-on-year, growth in retail sales reached 2.8%, and fixed-asset investment growth turned positive to reach 1.8%.

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This is an AI-generated English rendering of original reporting or commentary published by Caixin Media. In the event of any discrepancies, the Chinese version shall prevail.

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China’s industrial output grew 6.3% YoY, retail sales rose 2.8%, and fixed-asset investment increased 1.8% in Jan-Feb 2025.
Shanghai dropped minimum commercial property down payment to 30%; government launches hydrogen energy pilots with up to 1.6 billion yuan in rewards.
JD.com plans the world’s largest embodied AI data center; Japan is releasing 80 million barrels of oil reserves amid global supply shocks.

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Who’s Who

JD.com Inc.: JD.com Inc. plans to build the world's largest embodied AI data center. The company aims to collect 5 million hours of real-world human video data within one year and 10 million hours within two years. To achieve this, JD.com intends to involve hundreds of thousands of people in what it describes as the largest data collection campaign in history.

Zhejiang Leapmotor Technology Co. Ltd: Zhejiang Leapmotor Technology Co. Ltd. (Leapmotor) achieved a significant financial turnaround in 2025, reporting a net profit of 540 million yuan. This positive result marks a substantial improvement from the 2.8 billion yuan loss it incurred in the previous year.

Zhengzhou Sudashare Industrial Co. Ltd.: Zhengzhou Sudashare Industrial Co. Ltd. announced that its Chairman, Li Xiyuan, has been detained by authorities. Despite this, the company stated that its production and operations are continuing normally.

ADASpace: ADASpace, in collaboration with a joint space computing laboratory at Shanghai Jiao Tong University, recently conducted a successful technical trial. They utilized the open-source AI agent OpenClaw to remotely control humanoid robots on Earth through space computing functionalities. This experiment validated the potential of leveraging space-based computing to deliver AI services for terrestrial robots.

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