BEIJING - China's 25 leading excavator makers sold a total of 19,316 excavators last month, up 21.7 percent year-on-year, data from the China Construction Machinery Association showed.

In breakdown, 17,159 excavators were sold in the domestic market, rising 21.2 percent year-on-year, while exports of the equipment surged 25.6 percent to 2,157.

In the first 11 months, total sales amounted to 215,538 units, up 15 percent from the same period last year.

Sales of digging machines are an important indicator of the vitality of an economy as demand is usually backed by growth in mining and infrastructure development.

In 2018, China's excavator sales totaled 203,420, surging 45 percent year-on-year.