BEIJING - Companies listed on the A-share market maintained steady growth in the first three quarters of 2022, which mirrors China's economic vitality and potential.

During this period, listed companies reported combined operating revenue of 52.37 trillion yuan ($7.35 trillion), climbing 8.51 percent year-on-year, data from the China Association for Public Companies showed.

Their net profits reached 4.75 trillion yuan, up 2.46 percent from a year earlier, according to the data.

The revenue growth rate of non-financial listed companies continued to outpace that of financial listed companies in the January-September period.

"This demonstrates the strength and the resilience of the real economy," said Tian Lihui, a finance professor with Nankai University.

During the period, emerging industries such as photovoltaics, power batteries and new energy vehicles logged strong performance, and companies in the digital economy sector reported higher-than-average growth rates in terms of operating revenue, according to the association.

Official data showed that the net profits of 169 companies in the green and low-carbon sector on the main board of the Shenzhen Stock Exchange increased by 65.93 percent year on year.

Operating revenues of 13 photovoltaic industry chain companies and 16 power battery industry chain companies rose 106 percent and 93 percent, respectively, on the Shanghai Stock Exchange's sci-tech innovation board.

Listed companies increased innovation input to advance high-quality development in the first three quarters.

Their combined research and development (R&D) expenditure reached 940 billion yuan, surging 20 percent year on year, according to the association.

The R&D input of companies listed on the sci-tech innovation board of the Shanghai Stock Exchange increased 33 percent from a year earlier. On the Shenzhen main board, 383 companies in advanced manufacturing reported an increase of 20.25 percent in R&D input.

Among the 318 "little giant" companies (small enterprises specializing in niche markets with cutting-edge technologies and great potential) listed on the tech-heavy ChiNext market on the Shenzhen Stock Exchange, 285 companies were profitable in the first three quarters of 2022.