A worker in a textile enterprise in Luannan, Hebei province, works in a production plant, using new technology. (Photo: Xinhua)

BEIJING - China's export of textiles and garments rose 2.8 percent year-on-year to $23.8 billion in May, according to China's Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT).

In breakdown, the country's export of textiles stood at $11.6 billion, up 3.9 percent from the same period last year, while garments rose 1.7 percent to $12.2 billion, the ministry said, citing data from the General Administration of Customs.

In the first five months of the year, textiles and garments export dropped by 2.2 percent year-on-year to $99.6 billion, the MIIT said.

China's export of textiles was $48.3 billion during the January-May period, up 1.5 percent compared to a year ago, while that of garments saw a 5.5 percent decline to $51.3 billion.