China's industrial profits up 19.6% in July

An employee performs maintenance work on a railway line in Chongqing. It is expected to be put into full operation by the end of this year. [Photo/Xinhua]

Profits of China's major industrial firms in July totaled 589.5 billion yuan (about $85.56 billion), increasing by 19.6 percent year-on-year, data from the National Bureau of Statistics showed Thursday.