BEIJING, Aug. 28 (Xinhua) -- China's success in controlling COVID-19 means the economy is in a steady revival mode. The following facts and figures indicate how the country is forging ahead in resuming work and production:

-- Profits of China's major industrial firms maintained steady recovery in July despite uncertainties due to the grim and complex domestic and international environment, official data showed Thursday.

Last month, profits totaled 589.5 billion yuan (about 85.57 billion U.S. dollars), increasing by 19.6 percent year on year, according to the National Bureau of Statistics.

The growth widened 8.1 percentage points from that in June.

-- China achieved over half of its annual housing renovation target for rundown urban areas in the first seven months of this year, official data showed Thursday.

During the January-July period, the country started renovation of 22,200 old urban residential communities, accounting for 56.4 percent of its annual target, according to the Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development.

More than 4.42 million households will benefit from the renovation projects that have been started, accounting for 62.7 percent of the government's annual target, the ministry said.

-- Premier Li Keqiang has underlined the country's social assistance work to ensure the well-being of those in need.

Li, also a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, made the remarks in an instruction to a meeting held in Beijing Thursday about improving the country's social assistance system.

Noting that social assistance is an institutional arrangement to help those most in need, Li urged authorities to put themselves in the shoes of those in difficulties, and help them get through the tough times.

-- Hu Chunhua, a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, on Thursday stressed achieving the goal of stabilizing employment for poor laborers.

Hu, also head of the State Council's leading group on poverty alleviation and development, made the remarks during a symposium held in Guangzhou, capital of south China's Guangdong Province.

He called for greater efforts to further strengthen coordination between east and west China in poverty alleviation, and fully implement pro-employment policies with priority given to poor laborers.