BEIJING - China's second-hand automobile sales saw strong growth in June, following slight decline registered in May.

Second-hand auto fairs across the country reported sales of 1.24 million vehicles last month, up 7.18 percent compared with May and up 17.76 percent year-on-year, data from the China Automobile Dealers Association showed.

In May, the sales dropped by more than 3 percent from a year earlier.

About 6.86 million used vehicles were sold in the first half, up 3.93 percent year-on-year, the data showed.

Multi-purpose vehicles posted strong sales growth of over 10 percent during the period, while sales of passenger cars and coaches edged up.

Industrial data showed that new auto sales remained sluggish in the first half of this year, registering a 12.4-percent drop year-on-year.