BEIJING — China's home appliance sector saw steady expansion in the first seven months of the year, data from the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology showed.

During the period, the industry's operating revenue gained 28.3 percent year-on-year to 969.04 billion yuan (about $150.09 billion), according to the ministry.

The combined profits of the industry reached 59.56 billion yuan during the period, up 9.4 percent from a year earlier, the ministry said.

In the January-July period, China's output of refrigerators and washing machines hit 51.77 million units and 49.18 million units, respectively, the data showed.