BEIJING, Oct. 21 -- China's output of raw coal went up 3 percent year on year in the first three quarters of this year, official data showed.

The country produced 3.44 billion tonnes of raw coal during the period, according to the National Bureau of Statistics.

In September alone, China's raw coal output edged up 0.4 percent year on year to 390 million tonnes.

The country imported 350 million tonnes of coal in the January-September period, up 73.1 percent from the same period last year, the data revealed.