China's industrial output expands 6% in 2016

China's industrial output expanded 6 percent year on year in 2016, largely due to strong performance in the high-tech industry, official data showed Friday.

The growth rate was the same as in the first three quarters, official figures showed.

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 (about 2.9 million U.S. dollars).

In December, the total value added of the designated industrial enterprises was up by 6 percent year on year, or 0.46 percent month on month, the data showed.