BEIJING, Dec. 21 -- China's annual growth in value-added industrial output is likely to exceed 4.3 percent this year as industrial production maintained a recovery trend, according to the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT).

The ministry said at a national work conference on industrial development and informatization Thursday that the output of the manufacturing sector, with its share in China's GDP stable, will rank first in the world for the 14th straight year in 2023.

In the first 11 months of this year, the output of China's major high-tech manufacturers expanded 2.3 percent year on year, while that of the equipment manufacturing sector increased 6.4 percent.

By the end of November, the number of 5G base stations in China exceeded 3.28 million, while research on the 6G technology is witnessing faster progress, according to the ministry.

Jin Zhuanglong, minister of the MIIT, said for the next year, China will put more effort into advancing new industrialization and move faster to build a modern industrial system with sci-tech innovation as an engine and advanced manufacturing as its backbone.

China will work to improve the industrial chains of key manufacturing sectors, upgrade its traditional industries, consolidate and improve its competitive industries, foster and strengthen emerging industries, and make forward-looking arrangements for future industries, Jin said.