BEIJING, April 6 -- China's output of smartphones soared by 31.3 percent year on year to reach 172 million units in the first two months of 2024, according to the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology.

Domestic smartphone producers have been constantly rolling out new models, demonstrating the industry's efforts in pursuit of innovation, the ministry said.

The ministry will accelerate progress in key areas such as communication equipment, smart hardware, and lithium-ion batteries, and strive to make 5G mobile phone shipments account for more than 85 percent of China's total mobile phone market in 2024.

Since the beginning of the year, China's electronic information manufacturing sector has been gaining steam, with the value-added industrial output of major companies in the sector rising by 14.6 percent year on year in this period, according to the ministry.