BEIJING — China's paper-making industry saw profits expand and revenue fall in 2020, data from the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) shows.

The sector's profits totaled 82.67 billion yuan (about $12.84 billion) last year, rising 21.2 percent year-on-year, said the MIIT.

The operating revenue of the paper-making industry dropped 2.2 percent from a year ago to 1.3 trillion yuan in 2020.

MIIT data also shows that the sector reported steady output growth last year, with a 0.8 percent increase in the output of machine-made paper and paperboard.

In December alone, the machine-made paper and paperboard output climbed 2.9 percent year-on-year to 12.1 million metric tons.