BEIJING, April 17 (Xinhua) -- China's value-added industrial output, an important economic indicator, expanded 6.8 percent year on year in the first quarter, compared with the 6.3-percent increase for January to February, 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 U.S. dollars).

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.