BEIJING — China's raw coal output rose 0.8 percent year-on-year to 340 million metric tons last month, official data showed.

The growth rate returned to the positive territory, following a 3.3 percent year-on-year drop registered in July, according to the National Bureau of Statistics.

The August output represented a 0.7 percent increase compared with the same period in 2019, the NBS said.

In the first eight months, China produced 2.6 billion tons of raw coal, up 4.4 percent year-on-year.

China's coal imports surged 35.8 percent year-on-year to 28.05 million tons in August, NBS data showed.