BEIJING, March 23 -- China's exports of ships jumped during the first two months of 2024, both in terms of volume and value, official data has shown.

China exported a total of 937 ships from January to February, up 59.9 percent year on year, according to the General Administration of Customs.

The export value soared 180.6 percent from a year ago to 48.25 billion yuan (about 6.8 billion U.S. dollars) during the two months.

China's shipbuilding industry has expanded in recent years. The three major indicators of the industry -- output, new orders and orders on hand -- secured the top position in the global shipbuilding market for the 14th straight year in 2023, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology said in January.