China Railway Group, the country’s largest railway and highway builder, said first its quarter profit jumped 87 per cent year-on-year to Rmb982m. The upturn was attributed largely to China’s Rmb4,000bn economic stimulus package that includes a major focus on transportation infrastructure. Sales rose 71 per cent to Rmb60bn.

Construction equipment manufacturers are also benefiting from the infrastructure boom. During the first three months of the year, excavator sales in China totalled 24,024 units, down 10.6 per cent from the year earlier period. However the trend is improving, with more excavators were sold in March than were sold in the first two months of the year combined – 13,314 units in March versus 10,710 in January and February.