BEIJING — China reported higher output of raw coal in 2021 amid its efforts to ensure energy supply, official data showed.

Last year, the country's total output of raw coal increased by 4.7 percent year-on-year to 4.07 billion metric tons, according to data from the National Bureau of Statistics.

In December alone, 380 million tons of raw coal was produced, up 7.2 percent year-on-year. The growth pace was 2.6 percentage points higher than the previous month.

During the whole year, China had imported 320 million tons of coal, 6.6 percent higher than the previous year, the data showed.