BEIJING, July 15 (Xinhua) -- China's value-added industrial output, an important economic indicator, expanded 6 percent year on year in the first half, official data showed Monday.

(File Photo: CGTN)

The growth rate was 0.5 percentage points lower than that recorded in the first quarter of the year, the National Bureau of Statistics said in a statement.

In June alone, industrial output increased 6.3 percent year on year, 1.3 percentage points faster than that registered in May.

In a breakdown by ownership, the output of state-controlled enterprises went up 5 percent year on year in H1, joint-stock companies up 7.3 percent, and that of overseas-invested enterprises increased by 1.4 percent.

High-tech industries maintained fast expansion, with the output for high-tech manufacturing up 9 percent year on year, three percentage points faster than overall growth.

The value-added output of new energy vehicles and solar cells grew 34.6 percent and 20.1 percent, respectively.

China's value-added industrial output is used to measure the output of large companies each with annual main business revenue of more than 20 million yuan (about 2.9 million U.S. dollars).