China's machinery sector showed steady, positive performance in the first two months of this year, with growth in both production and market demand, said the China Machinery Industry Federation (CMIF) on Wednesday.

The five major machinery subsectors all posted year-on-year gains in January-February period. Value added in general purpose machinery, special-purpose machinery, automotive manufacturing, electrical machinery and equipment, and instruments and meters rose 8.9 percent, 8.8 percent, 3.4 percent, 8.7 percent, and 7.8 percent, respectively.

It is notable that the equipment manufacturing sector showed strong growth, with value-added output rising 9.3 percent year on year, 3 percentage points faster than the growth rate of value-added output for all industrial enterprises above designated size in the first two months.

Xu Niansha, president of the CMIF, said that as the first year of the 15th Five-Year Plan, the year of 2026 will see the equipment manufacturing sector focus on intelligent, green and integrated development, aiming to build a modern industrial system anchored by advanced manufacturing.

"China will focus on three aspects in terms of the future development of equipment manufacturing. First, we will reinforce the reshaping of industrial foundations by addressing weaknesses in industrial machine tools, high-end chips, and foundational software. Second, we will boost research and development of major equipment, advancing flagship products such as high-end medical devices, precision instruments, and advanced agricultural machinery. Third, we will enhance quality and branding to improve international reputation of 'Made in China'," said Xu.