BEIJING, April 20 (Xinhua) -- China's major industrial provinces serve as a key "ballast stone" in stabilizing overall growth, as the country's industrial economy made a solid start in the first two months of 2026, an official said.

Liu Wenqiang, Party secretary of the China Center for Information Industry Development, made the remarks on the latest episode of China Economic Roundtable, an all-media talk show hosted by Xinhua News Agency.

Major industrial provinces have played a vital stabilizing role, Liu noted, adding that the growth rates of above-designated-size industrial enterprises in the top 10 industrial provinces largely surpassed the national average in the first two months.

Industrial enterprises above the designated size in these 10 provinces also saw solid profit growth of 16 percent, contributing to over 60 percent of the country's total industrial profit increase, he said.

Liu said new growth drivers have gained greater influence. Guangdong's computer, communication and electronic information manufacturing rose 14.2 percent year on year, while Shandong and Jiangsu saw their equipment manufacturing expand by more than 10 percent.

Looking at national data, the latest figures showed that China's value-added industrial output expanded 6.1 percent year on year in the first quarter of 2026, 1.1 percentage points faster than the previous quarter.

Value-added output for high-tech manufacturing surged 12.5 percent in the first quarter. This sector's share of total industrial value-added reached 16.9 percent, driving overall growth by two percentage points, according to the National Bureau of Statistics.

"During our recent research, we have seen a significant boost in entrepreneurs' confidence, and they are working with great enthusiasm," Liu said. ■