BEIJING, Aug. 15 -- China's industrial output sustained stable growth in July with booming new growth drivers and strong exports.

The country's value-added industrial output, an important economic indicator, expanded 5.1 percent year on year in July, data from the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) showed Thursday.

On a monthly basis, the industrial output edged up 0.35 percent in July from the previous month.

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).

Addressing a press conference, NBS spokesperson Liu Aihua said that 80 percent of industries and nearly 60 percent of products registered year-on-year increases.

The equipment manufacturing sector contributed 2.4 percentage points to the entire industrial output growth, she said, adding that new growth drivers for the manufacturing sector are being strengthened.

Last month, the output of aerospace vehicles, electronic and communication devices, and computers and office equipment saw double-digit year-on-year increases, all outpacing June's growth rates. The output of unmanned aerial vehicles for civil use soared by 84.7 percent, and the production of new energy vehicles surged by 27.8 percent, Liu said.

Meanwhile, the export delivery value of the industrial sector climbed 6.4 percent year on year in July, 2.6 percentage points faster than that in June.

The export delivery value of electronics reversed the previous downturn, and that of automobiles saw double-digit growth for eight consecutive months, Liu said.

Looking forward, she noted that the continued rise of emerging industries and future industries will provide more impetus for industrial development, which is conducive to steady industrial growth.

In the first six months, the combined profits of major industrial enterprises rose 3.5 percent year on year to 3.51 trillion yuan, the NBS data showed.