The number of large industrial enterprises in China increased by 233 last year to 2,387, reported the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) on Saturday.

Although they made up only 0.9 percent of the country's total number of companies, the large industrial enterprises made more than 40 percent of all the sales revenues and profits in 2005.

Still more than half of the large industrial enterprises are state-owned or of collective ownership but the proportion is decreasing. The number of companies owned by overseas investors reached 627.

More than 60 percent of the large industrial enterprises are located in east China. Tibet is the only region without any, said the NBS.

According to standards set by the NBS, the minimum annual sales revenue, total assets and number of employees of a large industrial enterprise should be 300 million yuan, 400 million yuan and 2,000 people respectively. (1 U.S. dollar= 7.97 yuan)

Editor: Yan