(Yicai) May 29 -- The mining industry became the highest-paying sector for executives at China's mainland-listed companies in 2025, overtaking the financial sector, as average executive compensation across the market continued to rise, according to a new report.

The average annual salary of executives at A-share listed firms reached CNY1.7 million (USD247,273) last year, up over 2 percent from 2024. Executive pay in the mining sector exceeded CNY2 million on average, the highest among all industries, according to the China Entrepreneur Value Report 2026 released yesterday by Shanghai-based consultancy Rongzheng Enterprise Consulting Service Group.

Li Ge, chairman of contract research giant WuXi AppTec, received an annual salary of almost CNY40 million (USD5.9 million) in 2025, making him the highest-paid chairman among A-share listed companies, the report said.

A total of 18 executives at A-share firms earned more than CNY10 million during the year. They included John Oyler, chairman and chief executive of BeOne Medicines, formerly known as BeiGene; Pan Gang, chairman and president of dairy producer Yili Industrial Group; and Stella Li, executive vice president of electric vehicle maker BYD.

Several executives also recorded sharp increases in compensation. Sun Chengsi, chairman of semiconductor memory company Biwin Storage Technology, Lang Guanghui, chairman of pre-baked anode manufacturer Suotong Development, and Zhu Yi, chairman of Biokin Pharmaceutical, each saw their annual salaries rise by more than CNY4 million from 2024.

By market segment, executive compensation on Shanghai's Star Market remained higher than on other boards in 2025. It was followed by the Shanghai and Shenzhen main boards, the ChiNext Board, and the Beijing Stock Exchange.

The report also showed that more than 70 percent of A-share listed companies have recorded growth in market value since the beginning of 2025 as the market recovered, while equity incentive programs have undergone structural changes.

A-share companies announced 570 equity incentive plans last year, down almost 7 percent from 2024. The number of employee stock ownership plan announcements rose 18 percent to 328, including 153 initial announcements and 175 follow-on announcements.

Editor: Emmi Laine