BEIJING - China's national high-tech zones reported steady economic growth from January to May this year, according to the Ministry of Science and Technology Monday.

The operating revenue of the 156 national high-tech zones reached 12.35 trillion yuan ($1.85 trillion) in the first five months of this year, up 8.13 percent year on year, according to Zhang Zhihong, director of Torch High Technology Industry Development Center under the ministry.

From January to May this year, net profits totaled 726.5 billion yuan, up 8.78 percent year on year, and 136,000 new companies were registered, an increase of 25.3 percent from a year ago.

By the end of 2017, the national high-tech zones have established 994 overseas research and development centers.