BEIJING - China's machinery industry maintained robust growth in the first eight months of the year, registering double-digit expansion in revenue, profits and added value, official data showed.

The combined operating revenue of companies in the sector came in at 16.49 trillion yuan ($2.55 trillion) from January to August, soaring 21.5 percent year-on-year, according to the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology.

During the period, the companies' total profits rose 16.4 percent from a year ago to 980 billion yuan, the ministry said.

In the Jan-Aug period, the added value of China's machinery industry climbed 16.2 percent year-on-year, 3.1 percentage points higher than the overall growth of China's industrial sector.