BEIJING, April 16 (Xinhua) -- China's industrial production posted strong growth in March, as the country's economic recovery gained momentum amid the government's efforts to support growth and counter external economic headwinds.

The country's value-added industrial output expanded 7.7 percent year on year in March, according to data the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) released on Wednesday.

During the January-March period, the value-added industrial output increased 6.5 percent year on year, accelerating from a rise of 5.9 percent registered in the first two months of the year.

The country's industrial production in March climbed 0.44 percent month on month, according to the NBS.

The NBS uses the value-added industrial output to measure the activity of large enterprises boasting an annual main business turnover of at least 20 million yuan (about 2.77 million U.S. dollars).

A breakdown of the data showed that the equipment and high-tech manufacturing sectors are making greater contributions to industrial output, signaling ongoing progress in the country's efforts to make industry smarter, greener and more high-end, NBS deputy head Sheng Laiyun told a press conference.

Output of the equipment manufacturing sector, which took up 33.7 percent of the overall industrial output, climbed 10.9 percent in the first quarter of the year.

The high-tech manufacturing sector, which accounted for 15.7 percent of the total industrial output, saw its value-added output climb 9.7 percent year on year during this period. The production of new energy vehicles and industrial robots increased by 45.4 percent and 26 percent, respectively, according to the NBS data.

Wednesday's data also showed that China's GDP grew 5.4 percent year on year in the first quarter, compared with an annual growth of 5 percent last year. The country has set its full-year economic growth target at around 5 percent for 2025. Enditem