China's service sector has sharpened its international competitiveness, with knowledge-intensive service exports recording robust growth, the Ministry of Commerce said on Thursday.

Photo via China Daily

China's service exports jumped 15 percent year-on-year to 985 billion yuan ($136 billion) in the first four months, propelled by a rapid expansion of knowledge-intensive services, which now account for more than half of the country's total service outbound trade, He Yadong, spokesman for the ministry, said.

Exports of knowledge-intensive services, spanning intellectual property, cultural and entertainment products, rose 11.7 percent, making up 55.2 percent of all service exports, He said at a news conference.

In the intellectual property sector, He noted that outbound licensing deals for Chinese-developed innovative drugs hit record highs, with China's share of the global market surpassing 40 percent in 2025.

Chinese digital cultural products such as web novels, online dramas and mobile games have become highly sought-after in overseas markets, He added.