Beijing, September 15 (QNA) – China’s value-added industrial output expanded 5.2% year on year in August and growth slowed from a 5.7% rise in July.

In the first eight months of this year, China’s industrial output increased by 6.2 percent compared to the same period last year, according to data released by the National Bureau of Statistics, Xinhua News Agency reported.

The industrial output is used to measure the activity of large enterprises, each with an annual main business turnover of at least 20 million yuan (about 2.8 million US dollars).

A breakdown of the data showed that the manufacturing sector’s value-added output increased by 5.7% year on year last month, while that of mining grew by 5.1%.

The value-added output of the electricity, heat, gas, water production and supply sector rose by 2.4%.

China’s retail sales of consumer goods, a major indicator of the country’s consumption strength, expanded 3.4% year on year in August, following a 3.7% rise in July, official data showed. (QNA)