BEIJING — China's cotton imports rose 16.8 percent year-on-year in 2020, decreasing in the first half but soaring in the second half as production resumed and consumption recovered, official data shows.

The country's total cotton imports stood at 2.16 million tons in 2020, according to the General Administration of Customs.

China's cotton imports decreased by 23.7 percent year-on-year to 900,000 tons in the first half of last year due to the impact of COVID-19 on the textile industry.

The imports hit 1.26 million tons in the second half, surging 88.1 percent from the same period in 2019 amid the resumption of textile production and the recovery of consumption, customs data shows.