BEIJING, Sept. 16 -- China's paper-making industry reported steady output growth in the first seven months of the year, according to official data.

The country's machine-made paper and paperboard output totaled 78.95 million tonnes from January to July, up 1.6 percent year on year, according to the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology.

During the period, the operating revenue of major paper-making firms dropped by 5.1 percent year on year to 755.12 billion yuan (about 105.19 billion U.S. dollars), the data showed.