Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen. I'm Terence from China Com Service. On behalf of the company's management, I would like to welcome you to our company's 2024 interim results presentation. The presentation will be conducted in Chinese with simultaneous interpretation, and I will moderate in the Q&A session later.
Please put your phone on vibration mode or turn it off during the meeting. Please allow me to introduce the management who are present today. Mr. Luan Xiaowei , Executive Director and Chairman. Mr. Yan Dong, Executive Director and President. Mr. Shen Aqiang , Executive Director, Executive Vice President, and CFO. Mr. Zhang Hao, Executive Vice President. Thank you for your participation, and I hope this presentation will be helpful to you. Now, first of all, I'd like to invite Mr. Luan to present to you the 2024 interim results overview.
Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen. The results presentation will be divided into three parts. First, I will talk about the overview of our results, and next, Mr. Yan and Mr. Shen will present to you the business review and financial results, respectively. In the Q&A session, we will respond to your questions. In the first half of the year, we firmly grasped the opportunities from digital economy development, actively responded to the complex external environment and market competition, and further enhanced the level of high-quality development of the company.
First, operating results were steady with enhancement, and revenue and net profit grew steadily. Secondly, we implemented measures to improve quality and efficiency, and a gross profit margin continued an upward trend. Third, we achieved remarkable results in a strategic deployment, and Strategic Emerging Businesses have become a new driving force for growth.
Fourthly, led by the technological innovation, the core competitiveness of the company has been greatly improved. Fifthly, we adhere to the strategy of high- quality development, accelerate the cultivation of new quality productive forces, and strengthen core competitive advantages. Now, I'd like to show you the detailed results. In the first half of the year, we drove high- quality development with effective improvement in quality and reasonable growth in quantity, and our overall results were steady with a favorable trend. Revenue grew steadily, reaching 74.4 billion RMB, up by 1.7% year-on-year, of which service revenue increased by 3%.
Secondly, the growth rate of the net profit continued to be higher than that of the revenue, and net profit reached RMB 2.13 billion , up by 4.4% year-on-year, higher than the revenue growth rate by 2.7 percentage points. Thirdly, gross profit margin continues its favorable trend in the recent years, up by 0.2 percentage point year-on-year. We have seized the opportunities, such as the accelerated development of the digital economy, construction of AI computing power, and the further progress of the digital economy, and we have actively integrated into the customer ecosystems, such as the development of three major markets and three major business segments, was stable and progressive.
On the market side, we seized the Strategic Emerging Business development opportunities, such as Domestic Non-operator Market, led the overall growth with its revenue increase by 2.5% year-on-year. We have responded to the impact of the decline of CapEx by operating per customer. Domestic Operator Market remained largely stable. Overseas Markets business increased by 26% year-on-year. In terms of business, we continue to strengthen our software and digital service capabilities, and application, content, and other services continue to maintain the relatively fast growth rates, with revenue increasing by 6% year-on-year, which was the largest contributor to revenue growth in the first half of the year. In addition, we keep abreast of the demand of the computing power construction, renewable energy development, supply chain management.
Telecommunication infrastructure services remained largely stable, and the business process outsourcing services, which is also called the BPO, achieved steady growth. We resolutely implemented a high-quality development strategy, and the business quality was greatly improved. From the market perspective, the Domestic Non-operator Market in the first half of the year was quite stable. The gross profit margin reached a double-digit growth. From the business perspective, the revenue growth of the ACO business grew the fastest, and the gross profit margin also reached double- digit. We attributed that to the gross profit margin of software development and system integration business in ACO business....
From the perspective of industry and technology, we have achieved great results in actively deploying Strategic Emerging Businesses such as Digital Infrastructure, Green and Low-carbon, Smart City, and Emergency Management and Security , which have become our driving momentum. In the first half of the year, we signed new contracts worth over RMB 108 billion, up by 8% year-on-year, of which the new contract value of the Strategic Emerging Business increased by more than 40% year-on-year. Its portion to the total new contracts increased from 27% last year to over 35% this year, becoming the major driving force for new contract growth. In terms of the customer mix of new contracts for Strategic Emerging Business, Domestic Non-operator Market accounted for the largest portion, about 66%, which is the main momentum for Domestic Non-operator Markets.
We target specific scenarios and some specific sectors for deep cultivation and penetration, and continue to strengthen our Strategic Emerging Business. In terms of Digital Infrastructure, we have served the industry for more than 17 years. We have a profound accumulation of industrial experience. We have applied AI energy efficiency optimization, and advanced Green and Low- carbon solutions to provide whole process and full professional integrated services. During the period, we undertook multiple Intelligent Computing, Supercomputing Center, and AI Computing Power Projects .
New contracts from this field grew by over 35%. In terms of Green and Low- carbon, based on the extension of our capabilities in Digital Infrastructure, we form full process Green and Low-carbon solutions with consultation as the lead, plus digital empowerment and product innovation, and Construction, Operation, and Maintenance.
We won several bids with new contract value over RMB 10 million during the period. New contracts from the field grew by over 60%, and our growth was the highest among the Strategic Emerging Business. In terms of smart city, we undertook multiple EPC general contracting projects with a contract value over RMB 10 million during the period, based on our profound accumulation of more than 10 years of experience, and three core capabilities of top-level design software, R&D, and implementation and delivery. With the advantages of three provincial, municipal, and country-level services, we won large projects. New contracts from this field grew by more than 40%. In terms of Emergency Management and Security , we have seen 40% of new contracts compared to that of last year, much faster than that of last year.
We promote the technological innovation, and we empower new quality productive forces with such kind of innovation. In the first half of the year, the revenue of software development system support maintained double-digit growth, and we have seen great benefits coming from technological innovation, and the results continued to be very outstanding. In terms of the Strategic Emerging Business , we target the intelligent security and the scenario-based demand from tech customers, and we have forged more than ninety key industrial products. In terms of future-facing industries , we have developed more than twenty key products, such as AI Applications, Internet of Vehicles, and the low-altitude economy for key customers in sectors such as operators, governments, and transportation.
Looking into the future, we'll continue to adhere to the One Positioning, Four Roles, so continue to deepen reform and transformation, accelerate the cultivation of new quality productive forces, and strengthen the advantages of a steady development, industrial leadership, quality service, safe development, and expert talents. Firstly, about the Strategic Emerging Business. We will actively integrate into the transformation of our operators and ensure that we maintain a leading position in this market segment. In terms of Digital Infrastructure, Smart City, Green and Low- carbon, Emergency Management, and Security, we will gradually achieve a leadership. In terms of the Overseas Market, we will be more efficient.
Secondly, we strengthen the core position of the technological innovation, accelerate the cultivation of influential market-scale smart products and solutions, and utilize technological innovation to drive the digitalization, greening, and safety transformation and upgrade of traditional business, such as Design and Constructio n. Thirdly, we strengthen the professional capabilities of our three business segments. We have explored the systems and mechanism that connects the market management and professional capabilities, differentiating ourselves in terms of our capabilities.
And we promote the transformation of enterprises towards professionalized high-end, and achieve sustainable and high-quality development. And that's the first part of the presentation. Now, I would like to give the floor to Mr. Yan Dong to present to you the business review. Thank you, Chairman. Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen. Please allow me to present to you the group's business review in the first half of 2024.
This table shows the revenue and growth rates of the three business segments and the percentage to total revenues of each segment. From the incremental revenue and growth rate, supply chain business in BPO contributed the largest portion of incremental revenue in the first half, while software development and system support business in ACO grew at the fastest rate. Both of them have achieved double-digit growth. More details are shown in the following sections and appendix. In terms of business, we focus on customers' demand and new infrastructure, such as computing power and new energy, and we have strengthened our services in these regards. We have responded to the impact brought by the decline of CapEx of the operators. That this business remain quite stable.
We have kept abreast of the development opportunities, such as the upgrade of digitalization, demand of the society, intensifying market expansion efforts, and achieve fast development in ACO business, which is up by 6% year-on-year. In terms of market, revenue from Operators and Non-operator s accounting for 50% each, as dual growth drivers are our pillars, and later, we will give you more details. In terms of Domestic Non-operator Market , we focus on key industries such as Government, Emergency Management, Transportation, Energy, and Education . We have expanded our advantages, business such as Industrial Digitalization, PV, and NEV, and Data Centers . The revenue from the Domestic Non-operator Market was stable with enhancement, up by 2.5% year-on-year, of which ACO business grew by 12.5%.
In the meantime, we focus on the business structure optimization, and we have tightly controlled the low-growth profit margin business growth and the profit distribution business. The gross profit margin of Domestic Non-operator business increased significantly by 12.1%, which is much higher than the total revenue growth. In the first half, the new contract value from Domestic Non-operator Market reached CNY 47 billion, up by 10%. New contracts from Strategic Emerging Business in Domestic Non-operator Market increased by more than 45%, accounting for more than half of the new contracts, driving the overall development of the market, and we have enjoyed great prospects for this business segment. At this point, the Digital Transformation and upgrade of thousands of industries is accelerating, which is the new driving force for our business.
In the first half, we have undertook a number of larger- scale Data Center and Intelligent Computing Center projects. We have also achieved breakthroughs in many fields, such as New Energy, Smart Education, Smart Transportation, Digital Government, Enterprise Digital Transformation, and Emergency Management . The number of sizable projects values over CNY 10 billion, and we have over 700 of them, and the total value is exceeded CNY 23 billion, up by 33%. We have expanded Domestic Non-operator Market and consistently accumulated industrial experience and successful cases, and we have a lot of solutions to our clients. In terms of Domestic Operator Market, we responded to the changes in terms of investment and demand upgrade.
We have overcome the challenges of CapEx decline, and we have served clients' new business needs in Computing Power Network Construction, 5G Network Optimization, Energy Saving and Carbon Reduction , as well as Security Development and we have seen stable revenue growth. In the first half of the year, new contract in Domestic Operator Business was more than CNY 58 billion, up by 6%, of which the new contract from Strategic Emerging Business increased by more than 34%. Smart city, Digital Infrastructure, Green and Low- carbon projects contributed more to the contract growth, and we have enjoyed great progress for these businesses. In the meantime, we continue to explore traditional business, such as Telecom Network Infrastructure , and we have maintained very outstanding operational efficiency.
We will continue to stabilize our traditional business while exploring Strategic Emerging Business. In terms of Overseas Market, we actively responded to the demand from the Digital Economy along the Belt and Road Initiative, and we have achieved synergistic expansions with go-abroad Chinese enterprises. We have implemented a lot of projects in the fields of Communication, New Energy, and Informatization . In the first half of the year, revenue from Overseas Market increased by 26% year-on-year.
We will further seize the opportunity of Overseas Markets, and we want to focus on APAC, Middle East, Africa, and Latin America. Four key customer groups, including Telecom Operators, energy and electricity clients, overseas governments and Enterprises, and Chinese enterprises . Four key businesses, including Digital Infrastructure Construction, Dual Carbon, energy and electricity, Smart Products and Services, as well as Industrial Informatization Services.
We will continue to coordinate our development with safety and promote the safe and efficient development of Overseas business. On pages 20 to 23, you will see our development and benchmark projects in four sectors of Strategic Emerging Businesses, including Digital Infrastructure, Green and Low- carbon, Smart City, Emergency Management, and Security. You can scan the QR code for more details. We are seeing waves of Digitalization and Informatization. Digital Economy is accelerating. The next generation Information Technology is iterating. Digital infrastructure, Green and Low- carbon, Industrial Digitalization, AI, have continued to expand. We are seeing more demands coming from the clients for Digital Intelligence Services, AI, and Industrial Digitalization .
Looking forward, we will step up our effort in technological innovation, further leverage the advantages of our company, and lead by consultation and design and in comprehensive integrated services, and accelerate the enhancement of our differentiated service capabilities. We'll continue to expand Strategic Emerging Businesses in the Domestic Non-operator Market, and assist our customers in Domestic Operators to innovate, to transform, and upgrade.
We'll continue to strengthen and improve ourselves, focus on the Strategic Emerging Business, reinforce our traditional business by improving quality and efficiency, and enhance our competitiveness, and achieve effective improvement in quality and reasonable growth in quality. And we will join hands with the shareholders, customers, and society to embark on the China Com Service new journey to high-quality development. I'll pass the floor to Mr. Shen Aqiang for the financial results. Thank you, Mr. Yan.
Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen. I will now present to you our financial results for the first half of the year. On this page, you can see our key financial indicators, such as revenues, cost, profit, and cash flow. Now, I would like to introduce to you our key financial performances. In the first half of the year, our gross profit margin continued the improvement trend in the recent years, increased by 0.2 percentage point, reaching 10.9%, among which, gross profit margin of the Domestic Non-operator Market increased significantly, and the GP margin of Domestic Operator Market largely stabilized. Gross profit margin for consulting, design, the system integration software have also increased, and is mainly because of the following measures that we have taken. First, we focus on high-quality development and improvement of our core capabilities.
We have strived to expand our high-value business sectors, and we have controlled the low gross profit margin business development. Secondly, we have optimized our revenue mix, which is the technological innovation driven business. Certainly, we have strengthened cost control, and we have controlled our costs and enhanced our efficiency. In terms of cost structure, we have carried out a number of measures to strictly control the costs and expenses, and we have seen great results. In terms of direct personal costs, we have controlled the total number of employees by optimizing the employee mix and improving the labor productivity. As a result, the direct personal costs continued to decline. For material costs and subcontracting charges, we have further strengthened the management of our general contracting projects.
We have increased the proportion of centralized procurement and self-sufficient marketing and delivery capabilities. We have also consolidated our whole process management of subcontracting, which results in a more reasonable material cost and subcontract charges. For SG&A, we continue to enhance our R&D investment, and the R&D expenses increased to 3.5%, excluding R&D expenses. SG&A expenses as a percentage of the revenue declined by 0.2 percentage points to 5.7%. SG&A continued to be well under control. We have seen an increase in the net free cash flow in the first half of the year, with account receivable increased to a certain extent. For free cash flow, the outflow in the first half was mainly due to the cyclical pattern in our business and cash flow in the first half and second half of the year.
For account receivable, the total amount have increased, but the risk is within control. First, more than 90% of the account receivable is within one year of age, which is similar to that of last year. Secondly, the account receivable overdue for more than three years remained largely stable. Thirdly, the increase of the account receivable, 50% of them came from customers with good credit background, and the risk is relatively low. We'll continue to adhere to the philosophy of a revenue with reasonable profit, profit with matched cash flow, and refine the mechanism of the assessment, reward, and punishment mechanism of the account receivable management.
We will manage our accounts receivable in a scientific and technological way, and we expect that the free cash flow for the whole year can turn positive, and we strive to safeguard the cash flow at a reasonable and healthy level. Here, you can see the key indicators of our balance sheet. As of June 30th, 2024, our liabilities to asset ratio and debt to capitalization ratio were 65% and 2.0%, respectively. The financial position remained solid, which would lay a solid foundation for the long-term sustainable development of the company. We firmly believe that facing the rapid development of Digital Economy and the strong demand and vast market for digitalization, intelligentization, and greening, the company's value in the capital markets will continue to improve.
The reasons are as follow: firstly, we continue to see a stable financial position, which would be conducive to seizing the development opportunities of our emerging business. Secondly, we have a continued business transformation, and our operating efficiency have been improving in the past few years. Certainly, we have adapted to the market changes. We are very resilient when it comes to the adverse external impacts, and we have achieved high- quality operating results with steady growth. Fourthly, we continue to improve shareholders' returns, and we pay steadily dividends to our shareholders in an increasing manner in recent years.
And we'll continue to the overall roadmap of value-oriented, seeking steady yet progressive growth and high-quality development, and we'll continue to cultivate and strengthen new quality productive forces, deeply expand the Strategic Emerging Business to achieve favorable growth in operating results with high-quality development, and promote the continuous enhancement of the company's value in the capital market. Next, we'll start the Q&A session, and we will be very pleased to answer any questions that you have. Thank you.