Baotou has accelerated the development of a modern industrial system this year, achieving stable economic development from January to May.

The added value of industrial enterprises above designated size — those with annual revenue of more than 20 million yuan ($2.94 million) — rose by 7.5 percent year-on-year.

The three pillar industries of rare earths, aluminum, and equipment manufacturing drove the added value growth of industrial enterprises above designated size by 12.8 percentage points. Their respective added value increased by 51.3 percent, 14.5 percent, and 58.3 percent, up 38.6, 10.2, and 46.8 percentage points year-on-year, respectively.

The operating revenue of industrial enterprises above designated size rose by 14.0 percent from January to April, an increase of 19.1 percentage points year-on-year. Total profits maintained the doubling momentum seen in the previous month, surging 2.1 times.

Fixed-asset investment rose by 4.0 percent year-on-year.

Investment in the secondary industry grew by 6.2 percent, accounting for 82.6 percent of the total investment, up 1.7 percentage points.

Investment in energy storage doubled. Using its abundant wind power resources and robust power grid capacity, Baotou has developed the new energy industry. Investment in energy storage surged 4.5 times from last year, pushing up total investment by 12.3 percentage points.

Infrastructure investment (excluding electricity and thermal power) jumped 1.3 times year-on-year, a rise of 158.3 percentage points, accounting for 7.9 percent of total investment, up 4.4 percentage points.

Baotou's total retail sales of consumer goods reached 36.02 billion yuan, up 3.2 percent from the previous year.

Total retail sales of consumer goods by enterprises above designated size stood at 13.6 billion yuan, up 4.0 percent. Catering revenue amounted to 1.11 billion yuan, down 1.3 percent.

Retail sales of goods realized via public networks by enterprises above designated size rose by 10.4 percent, an acceleration of 5.8 percentage points from the previous month.