BEIJING — China's cement sector has posted steady restoration of work and production, with output in May hitting a monthly high, data showed.

China produced 249 million tons of cement last month, up 8.6 percent from the same period last year, according to data from the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT).

In the first five months of this year, the aggregate cement output fell 8.2 percent year-on-year to 769 million tons, narrowing by 15.7 percentage points from the drop in the first quarter.

MIIT data showed that the sector's total revenue declined 13 percent from a year ago to 233.2 billion yuan (about $32.9 billion) in the January-April period, 8.7 percentage points lower than the decrease in the first quarter.

Its combined profit stood at 35.3 billion yuan in the first four months of this year, falling 18.1 percent from the same period last year.

In April alone, the sector logged a 4.4-percent year-on-year increase in revenue and a 0.6-percent growth in profit, both reversing a losing streak, the MIIT said.