an annual business revenue of at least 20 million yuan (about 2.8 million U.S. dollars) in the sector, rose 9.5 percent year on year during the period, 5.5 percentage points and 0.8 percentage points higher than that for the overall industry and the high-tech manufacturing sector, respectively, according to the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology.

The export delivery value of the sector, climbed 6 percent year on year during the period from January to October, down 0.4 percentage points from the first nine months.

Companies in the sector saw their total operating revenue gradually rebound during the first 10 months, up 8.4 percent over the same period last year to 12.45 trillion yuan.

Investment in the sector also registered rapid expansion between January and October, with fixed-asset investment soaring 20.8 percent year on year, 10 percentage points higher than that for the whole industry.