China's value-added industrial output, an important economic indicator, expanded 6.3 percent year on year in the first two months, compared with the 6-percent increase for December of 2016, official data showed on March 14.

The 6.3-percent growth rose from the 5.4-percent increase in the Jan.-Feb. 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 an important economic indicator. It is used to measure the activity of designated large enterprises with annual turnover of at least 20 million yuan (2.9 million U.S. dollars).

On a monthly basis, industrial production expanded 0.6 percent in February, the data showed.