Not afraid of death
Chen Guangbiao ads on A15 of NYT to host charity luncheon for 1,000 poor and destitute Americans
Passionate bar babies and fans feel the charm of World Cup 2014
US aircraft carrier docks in HK, welcomes PLA aboard
Graduation season: 'Take graduation photos to mark our love'
College-student-turned nun becomes famous on Internet
Japanese airplanes tail Chinese warplane in China's ADIZ
China applies for UNESCO listing of Nanjing documents
Picturesque scenery in Hongcun Village
Japan's PM vows to resume commercial whale hunt
BEIJING, June 19 -- China's state-owned enterprises (SOEs) saw faster growth in profits in the first five months of 2014 than in the January-April period, adding to signs of a stabilizing economy, according to the Ministry of Finance (MOF).
The combined profits of China's SOEs rose 6.9 percent year on year to 942.6 billion yuan (153.2 billion U.S. dollars) in the first five months, accelerating moderately from 6.5 percent for the January-April period.
However, business revenues for state firms continued to slow, while operating costs still outpaced the growth in revenues, thus further weighing on future profits, the MOF said in a statement on its website.
Total business revenues for the state firms increased 5.3 percent from a year ago to 18.83 trillion yuan in the first five months, while operating costs rose at a faster pace of 5.6 percent to reach 18.16 trillion yuan.
By the end of May, SOEs' total assets stood at 95.73 trillion yuan, or more than seven times the size of the economy in the first quarter. Liabilities rose 11.7 percent year on year to 62.45 trillion yuan, compared with 11.3 percent in asset growth.
Still, 32 centrally administered SOEs and state firms run by 13 provinces reported declines in profits, according to the MOF.
Steel companies and the non-ferrous metal sector run by the state continued to suffer losses, but SOEs in building materials, automobiles and real estate posted large increases in profits.
The figures, which exclude financial SOEs, were collected from SOEs in 36 provincial-level regions and those administered by the central government.
Puzhehei: land of idyllic beauty
Chinese navy fleet visits Cape Town, South Africa
PLA naval cadets toss their hats at graduation ceremony
Graduation photo ideas: reliable alumnus and happy alumna
Super daddies in 2014 World Cup
College girls take stylish photos to help enrollment
Rebuilding the silk road
Top 10 Chinese products scoring World Cup goal
PLA units hone their tank combat skills
In Pictures: Female fans of World Cup
China's top 10 representative architectures
Photo story: A day of 'mini girl'
Top 20 hottest women in the world in 2014
Cute animals' leisure summer in zoo
Exhibition of the Buddha held in TibetDay|Week|Month