BEIJING - Strong downstream demand led to increasing sales of digging machines in June, according to the China Construction Machinery Association Friday.

Sales of diggers last month rose by over 100 percent year on year as the Chinese economy gained momentum. For the January-June period sales soared by just over 110 percent from a year earlier.

Monthly sales of diggers have grown at an average rate of over 70 percent since last September, leading the increase in demand for construction machinery.

Sales of digging machines is a barometer of new infrastructure, and the strong growth indicates that the economy has expanded steadily in the first half of the year.

New data confirmed economic stabilization in China and a more balanced economic structure, with the official manufacturing purchasing managers' index beating market forecasts to stand at 51.7 in June, the second highest reading this year.

China's top legislature last year approved 165 major projects, covering sectors including technological innovation, industrial upgrades, infrastructure construction, environmental protection and improving living conditions.

The projects will be implemented over a five-year period starting in 2016.