BEIJING — China's value-added industrial output, an important economic indicator, went up 15.9 percent year-on-year in the first half of this year, data from the National Bureau of Statistics showed on July 15.

The figure puts average H1 growth for the past two years at 7 percent, 0.2 percentage points faster than the two-year average of Q1 growth from the 2019 level, according to the NBS.

In the second quarter, industrial output went up 8.9 percent year-on-year, while in June alone, it rose 8.3 percent year-on-year, the NBS said.

The industrial output is used to measure the activity of designated large enterprises with an annual business turnover of at least 20 million yuan (about $3.09 million).

In a breakdown by ownership, the output of the private sector went up 18.3 percent year-on-year in June while that of State-controlled enterprises rose 11.9 percent.

Among the three major sectors namely, manufacturing, mining, and production and supply of utilities, the manufacturing sector's output showed the fastest growth, climbing 17.1 percent year-on-year in June.

Meanwhile, the output of high-tech manufacturing expanded by 22.6 percent last month from a year ago.

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