国内英语新闻:Chinese company groups assets up 19.7%

BEIJING, Oct. 24 (Xinhua) -- China has a total number of 2,971 company groups by the end of 2008 and their combined assets rose 19.7 percent from the previous year to more than 40 trillion yuan (5.86 trillion U.S. dollars), the China Industrial Information Issuing Center said Saturday.

    Corporate management of these company groups is improving, according to the center.

    Affected by the global financial crisis and economic slowdown, profit of these company groups decreased by 22.5 percent in 2008 year on year, the first annual drop since 1997, said the center without giving specific figures.