BEIJING, Aug. 3 -- China's photovoltaic and lithium battery industries maintained steady growth in the first half of the year, data from the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology showed Thursday.

China's output of polysilicon, silicon wafers, photovoltaic cells, and modules reached new highs in the first half, with year-on-year growths all exceeding 65 percent.

The total export value of photovoltaic products reached 28.92 billion U.S. dollars during the period, an increase of 11.6 percent year on year.

Revenues of the lithium battery industry reached 600 billion yuan (about 83.92 billion U.S. dollars) in the first half, data also showed.