BEIJING - China's 26 leading excavator makers sold a total of 223,833 excavators in the first half of the year, up 31.3 percent year-on-year, data from the China Construction Machinery Association showed.

In breakdown, 193,700 excavators were sold in the domestic market, rising 24.3 percent year-on-year, while exports of the equipment jumped 107 percent to 30,133.

In June alone, excavator sales came in at 23,100 units, down 6.19 percent from the same period last year.

Sales of digging machines are an important indicator of the vitality of an economy as the demand is usually backed by growth in mining and infrastructure development.