BEIJING, July 27 (Xinhua) -- Profits of China's major industrial firms fell 2.4 percent year on year in the first half of 2019, data from the National Bureau of Statistics showed Saturday.

Workers are busy in a production line in a factory in Suqian, Jiangsu Province, on May 18, 2019. (Photo: VCG)

Combined profits of industrial firms with annual revenue of more than 20 million yuan (about 2.9 million U.S. dollars) amounted to 2.98 trillion yuan in the first six months.