The industrial added value of enterprises above the designated size in Ningbo edged up 0.1 percent year-on-year to 214.26 billion yuan ($31.05 billion) from January to July, official data show.

It is the first time positive growth has been seen this year after a contraction in the first six months. In July alone, the figure stood at 33.92 billion yuan, an increase of 7 percent year-on-year. 

Among the city's 35 major industries, 17 achieved positive growth in industrial added value. 

The industrial added value of the industrial clusters of biomedicine, energy conservation and environmental protection, new materials, and high-end equipment, increased by 17.9 percent, 5.6 percent, 3.2 percent and 2.6 percent respectively over the seven-month period. The core industry of digital economy saw an uptick of 21.62 billion yuan in added value, representing a year-on-year growth of 4.5 percent.

Business confidence and industrial investment in Ningbo have been growing steadily. 

In the first seven months, the city's industrial investment stood at 44.12 billion yuan, up 6.5 percent year-on-year.

Official data show that 85.9 percent of companies based in Ningbo resumed normal production or full-load production this month, an increase of 10.6 percent over July. Seventy-four percent of companies said they saw exports rebound, up 5.2 percentage points from July.