BEIJING — China's value-added industrial output, an important economic indicator, expanded 6.8 percent year-on-year in the first quarter this year, compared with the 6.3-percent increase for Jan - Feb, official data showed Monday.

The 6.8-percent growth rose from the 5.8-percent increase in the same period of 2016. It was also higher than the 6-percent annual gain seen in 2016, according to the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS).

Industrial output, officially called industrial value added, is used to measure the activity of designated large enterprises with annual turnover of at least 20 million yuan ($2.9 million).

In March, industrial production expanded 7.6 percent year-on-year, NBS data showed.

Ownership analysis showed that industrial output of state-holding enterprises was up 6.2 percent in the first quarter, while output of share-holding enterprises grew 6.9 percent. Meanwhile, industrial output of enterprises funded by overseas investors increased 6.9 percent.