BEIJING - China's oil giant PetroChina Co announced Wednesday that its net profits in the first quarter this year rose 13.9 percent year-on-year to 37 billion yuan ($5.68 billion).

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Its earnings per share stood at 0.2 yuan, the company said in a statement filed with the Shanghai Stock Exchange.

"In the first three months this year, the output of the company's main products had grown steadily, contributing to the relatively strong business performance," according to the statement.