BEIJING -- China's imports of integrated circuits rose at a robust rate during the first eight months of the year, buoyed by a rebound in market demand, a commerce official said Thursday.

The country's imports of integrated circuits jumped 15.3 percent year-on-year to 1.5 trillion yuan (about $219.52 billion) during the period, Gao Feng, spokesman for the Ministry of Commerce, said at a regular news briefing.

The growth rate was 17.6 percentage points higher than the country's import rate in the January-August period.

Epidemic-induced lifestyle changes, such as the increasing popularity of working from home, distance education and online health care, spurred demand for integrated circuits, Gao said.

The country's 5G network construction and some companies' rush to stock up on integrated circuits also contributed to the increase in imports, he added.