A worker checks a product at a workshop in the Tangshan Hi-tech Industrial Development Zone in Tangshan, north China's Hebei Province, July 17, 2020. (Xinhua/Mu Yu)

China's high-tech industry registered fast expansion in 2020, with sales revenue up 14.7 percent year on year, according to the State Taxation Administration.

The industry's growth rate was 8.7 percentage points higher than the national average, according to Cai Zili, an official with the administration.

In breakdown, the high-tech service industry saw its growth rate exceed 20 percent year on year for nine consecutive months last year.

"High-tech services such as the internet, big data and artificial intelligence have further integrated with the manufacturing industry," Cai said.

The number of high-tech enterprises in China is estimated to reach 275,000 in 2020, more than three times the figure in 2015.