In this July 16, 2020 file photo, containers are loaded onto a cargo ship at a port in Tangshan, Hebei province. (PHOTO / XINHUA)

BEIJING - China's exports of textiles and garments rose 5.62 percent year-on-year to US$187.41 billion in the first eight months of the year, according to the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT).

The pace of increase accelerated 0.05 percentage points from the January-July period, the MIIT data showed

The pace of increase accelerated 0.05 percentage points from the January-July period, the MIIT data showed.

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During the period, the country's exports of textiles stood at US$104.8 billion, up 31.99 percent year-on-year, while garment exports dropped 15.74 percent to US$82.61 billion, the ministry said.

In August, China's garment exports totaled US$16.21 billion, up 3.23 percent year-on-year, the first monthly growth since the start of the year.

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Driven by growth in demand for epidemic prevention textiles including masks, textile exports climbed 46.96 percent year-on-year to US$14.72 billion, according to the MIIT.