BEIJING, March 19 (Xinhua) -- China's fiscal revenue edged up 0.7 percent year on year to nearly 4.42 trillion yuan (about 640.81 billion U.S. dollars) in the first two months of 2026, according to data released by the Ministry of Finance on Thursday.

The central government collected approximately 1.92 trillion yuan in fiscal revenue during the period, down 1.7 percent year on year, and local governments collected 2.5 trillion yuan, up 2.6 percent.

In the first two months, the country's tax revenue totaled 3.64 trillion yuan, edging up 0.1 percent year on year, while its non-tax revenue rose 3.4 percent to 776.1 billion yuan.

China's fiscal expenditure expanded 3.6 percent year on year to 4.67 trillion yuan during the period. The central government's fiscal expenditure rose 4.5 percent, and there was a 3.5 percent increase in local government expenditure.

Spending on social security and employment came in at 927.9 billion yuan, up 8.6 percent. Health expenditure stood at 411.9 billion yuan, up 17.3 percent year on year. ■