China's industrial value-added output was up 17.6 percent in the first half of the year from a year earlier, the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) said Thursday.

The half-year figure was 10.6 percentage points higher than that of the same period last year, said NBS spokesman Sheng Laiyun.

Industrial production maintained a relatively fast growth in the first six months, and profits created by the nation's enterprises rose remarkably, Sheng said.

Statistics show that from January to May, profits of industrial enterprises of scale -- referring to enterprises with annual sales revenue exceeding five million yuan (about US$735,294) each -- jumped 81.6 percent from a year earlier to hit 1.54 trillion yuan, said Sheng.

Industrial value-added output for heavy industries from January to June was up 19.4 percent year on year, and that for light industries climbed 13.6 percent, according to Sheng.

Industrial value-added output for China's eastern regions increased 16.7-percent, and that for the central and western parts of the country rose 20.7 and 17.6 percent, respectively.

China's industrial production has rebounded to double-digit, monthly growth since June 2009, boosted by the government's economic stimulus measures.

Industrial value-added output growth peaked at 20.7 percent in the first two months of the year, but slowed down in the other four months.

(Xinhua News Agency July 15, 2010)