BEIJING — China maintained steady expansion in fixed-asset investment in the first half of 2021, with rapid investment growth in high-tech sectors, official data showed on July 15.

The country's fixed-asset investment went up 12.6 percent year-on-year in the January-June period, compared with the 15.4-percent increase in the first five months, the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) said on July 15.

Total fixed-asset investment came in at 25.59 trillion yuan (about $3.96 trillion) in the first half, according to the NBS.

Private investment expanded 15.4 percent during the period, compared with the 18.1-percent increase in the first five months.

The investment in high-tech industries increased 23.5 percent in the first half, putting the average January-June growth for 2020 and 2021 at 14.6 percent.

In breakdown, the investment in the primary industry rose 21.3 percent from the same period last year, while that in the secondary and tertiary industries increased 16.3 percent and 10.7 percent, respectively.

China's investment in property development rose 15 percent year-on-year in the first half of 2021, the data showed.

Fixed-asset investment includes capital spent on infrastructure, property, machinery and other physical assets.

The data also showed that China's gross domestic product expanded 12.7 percent year-on-year in the first half of 2021 as the recovery continued to firm.