Beijing ranks third nationally in investment growth in H1

Beijing's investment surged 14.1% year on year in the first half of 2025, ranking third nationwide and leading all eastern Chinese cities, according to the municipal development and reform commission.

All 320 planned major municipal and district-level projects for 2025 broke ground during the period, underscoring the capital's economic momentum.

Strategic sectors powered most of the gain. Manufacturing; software and information services; technology services; and leasing and business services accounted for more than 80% of the overall increase. Together they made up 31.5% of total investment, up 4 percentage points from the end of last year, showing a continued shift toward high-tech, high-value industries.

A prime example of this industrial acceleration is BOE's sixth-generation semiconductor display production line, which began operating in May after a 29 billion yuan ($4 billion) build-out. Designed to turn out 50,000 sheets a month, the line already supplies screens for high-end esports laptops and VR display devices to downstream enterprises. Such major industrial projects collectively boosted Beijing's manufacturing investment by 8.9% in the first half.

Equipment purchases by major companies and rapid expansion of computing infrastructure, including the Supercomputing AI Innovation Demonstration Park, drove investment in software and information services up 157% in the first half. The surge supports Beijing's goal of becoming China's top artificial intelligence hub.

Investment in public services also jumped, with education and health sectors posting 16.3% year-on-year growth as several citizen-focused projects moved forward.

Beijing plans to launch 160 additional major municipal and district projects in the third quarter. In the first half, 73 of 120 planned new municipal projects began construction, while six others originally scheduled for later quarters started ahead of schedule — both figures marking the highest for the same period in recent years.

The municipal development and reform commission said that efforts in the year's second half will focus on precise investment timing to maintain steady growth and strengthen investment's role in driving high-quality development in the capital.