BEIJING, July 15 -- China's industrial production growth remained stable in June, as industrial upgrading and new quality productive forces continued to advance.

The country's value-added industrial output, an important economic indicator, expanded 5.3 percent year on year in June, data from the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) showed Monday.

On a monthly basis, the industrial output edged up 0.42 percent in June from the previous month. During the January-June period, it rose 6 percent year on year.

The industrial output measures the activity of enterprises each with an annual main business turnover of at least 20 million yuan (about 2.8 million U.S. dollars).

A breakdown of the data showed that the output of the equipment manufacturing sector, which took up one-third of the overall industrial output, climbed 7.8 percent in the first half of the year.

The high-tech manufacturing industry also posted strong growth, with its output up 8.7 percent in the first half, according to the NBS.

The country's production of service robots, smartphones and new energy vehicles surged 22.8 percent, 11.8 percent and 34.3 percent, respectively, in the first six months.

NBS official Tang Weiwei said the country's industrial production had maintained stable development in the first half of the year with improving momentum. Tang also warned about challenges facing industrial sectors, including "complex and grave external situations and insufficient effective demand at home."

Monday's data also showed that the country's gross domestic product (GDP) grew 5 percent year on year in the first half of 2024. The GDP expanded 4.7 percent from one year earlier in the second quarter.