Factory activity shows signs of new vibrancy

Jan-Feb industrial output 2.4 percent higher after 1.3 percent December rise

The recovery of China's sprawling industrial economy is expected to pick up pace this year, as more policies are in the pipeline to buoy manufacturing, and encouraging signs indicate enterprises' stronger willingness to invest, experts said.

China's industrial output — a gauge of activity in the manufacturing, mining and utilities sectors — grew by 2.4 percent in the January-February period from a year earlier after a 1.3 percent rise in December, figures released by the National Bureau of Statistics showed on Wednesday.

Fu Linghui, an NBS spokesman, said the latest data show that production and demand are both picking up.