BEIJING — China continued to improve its industrial structure in 2021, with upgrades to the traditional sectors and development of the emerging sectors, said the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology on Jan 20.

In the first 11 months of last year, the energy consumption per unit of added value of large industrial enterprises with annual revenues of more than 20 million yuan (around $3.15 million) dropped 5.5 percent year-on-year.

In the push for green development, the annual output of crude steel in 2021 was reduced by 32 million metric tons from the previous year, a drop of 3 percent.

Meanwhile, rapid development was maintained in China's emerging industries in 2021.

Investment in the manufacturing sector went up by 13.5 percent from the previous year, while investment in high-tech manufacturing rose 22.2 percent, indicating an improving investment structure in the manufacturing sector, data from the ministry shows.

The output of the high-tech manufacturing industry went up 18.2 percent year-on-year, while the output of industrial robots climbed 44.9 percent and the output of integrated circuits went up 33.3 percent.