China's large industrial firms with annual sales turnover of more than five million yuan reported total profits of 968 billion yuan (US$121 billion) in the first seven months, up 28.6 percent from the same period last year, the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) said on Monday.

The rate accelerated from 28 percent in the first six months, 25.5 percent in the first five months and 21.3 percent in the first quarter.

The robust growth was primarily driven by soaring profits in sectors such as non-ferrous metals, oil and gas production, and transport equipment production, according to the NBS.

Non-ferrous metals firms saw their profits more than double from the same period last year, while profits in the transport equipment production sector jumped 55.6 percent and profits of oil and gas went up 44.8 percent.

However, profits in the steel industry dropped 11.1 percent, due to rising iron ore costs and declining steel prices. The oil refinery and coking industry made a net loss of 32.7 billion yuan (US$4.1 billion).

(Xinhua News Agency August 22, 2006)