China's fiscal expenditure up 3.4 pct in H1

China's fiscal expenditure expanded 3.4 percent year on year to nearly 14.13 trillion yuan (about 1.98 trillion U.S. dollars) in the first half of 2025, official data showed Friday.

Financial departments at all levels have continued to shore up spending for key areas, with fiscal spending on social security and employment increasing by 9.2 percent year on year in the January-June period, according to the Ministry of Finance.

In the six-month period, fiscal expenditure on science and technology rose 9.1 percent year on year, while that on education and health expanded 5.9 percent and 4.3 percent, respectively.

On the revenue side, the country's fiscal revenue edged down 0.3 percent year on year to around 11.56 trillion yuan in the first half of the year.

The central government collected nearly 4.86 trillion yuan in fiscal revenue, down 2.8 percent year on year, while local governments collected nearly 6.7 trillion yuan, up 1.6 percent year on year, the data showed. ■