BEIJING, Jan. 20 -- China's raw coal output climbed 1.9 percent year on year to 410 million tonnes in December 2023, official data showed.

The growth pace was 2.7 percentage points lower compared with November, according to the National Bureau of Statistics.

China produced 4.66 billion tonnes of raw coal in 2023, up 2.9 percent year on year, the data showed.

In December alone, the country imported 47.3 million tonnes of coal, rising 53 percent year on year.

Coal imports totaled 470 million tonnes last year, up 61.8 percent year on year.