Industrial firms' profits indicate robust recovery

China's major industrial enterprises' steady profit increases in the first five months of the year show the country's economy is on the right road to recovery, officials and experts said.

However, targeted policy support will be needed to help downstream industries and smaller businesses cope with rising costs and ensure sound economic fundamentals.

Figures released by the National Bureau of Statistics on Sunday showed that profits for China's major industrial enterprises rose 83.4 percent year-on-year in the first five months to over 3.42 trillion yuan ($530 billion). Major industrial companies refer to those with an annual business turnover of at least 20 million yuan from their main operations.