BEIJING, Dec. 21 -- Pork prices in China registered a week-on-week decline from Dec. 12 to 16, official data shows.

During the short period, the average pork price tracked by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs was 25.76 yuan (about 3.7 U.S. dollars) per kilogram, down 11.1 percent week on week.

The price was 19.6 percent higher year on year, but the increase fell by 7.5 percentage points from a week earlier, the data shows.

Chinese authorities have been releasing pork from the country's central reserves to stabilize prices in recent months, and hog production has continued to expand.

The country will continue to closely monitor the dynamics of market supply, demand and prices and implement related measures to promote the long-term healthy development of the hog market.