State-owned enterprises and companies operating in traditional monopolies, such as finance, energy, mining, manufacturing and transportation, dominated the Chinese mainland's top-20 first-half profit list.

The Industrial and Commercial Bank of China (ICBC) lead the pack followed by the China Construction Bank and PetroChina.

China's top-20 list contrasts with the United States, where technology giants, such as Apple and Microsoft, dominate the top-20 profit list in the first half.

The trend reflects the different economic patterns of China and the US, financial news website Caixin.com said.