BEIJING — China's steel sector registered output expansion last year, industrial data showed.

In 2020, crude steel output rose 5.2 percent year-on-year to exceed 1.05 billion tons, according to the China Iron and Steel Association (CISA).

The output of pig iron rose 4.3 percent from a year earlier to 887.52 million tons during the period, the CISA said.

In December alone, crude steel output rose by 7.7 percent to reach 91.25 million tons, with a daily output of more than 2.94 million tons, according to the CISA.

The output of pig iron gained 5.4 percent year-on-year to hit 74.22 million tonnes last month, while that of rolled steel reported a year-on-year increase of 12.8 percent, said the CISA.