China 's raw coal production expanded steadily in March, according to official data.

According to the National Bureau of Statistics, the country produced 420 million tons of raw coal in March, up 4.3 percent year on year.

The office stated that in the first three months of 2023, production increased by 5.5 percent from last year, to reach 1.15 billion tons.

The data added that China's coal imports reached 100 million tons in the January-March period, up 96.1 percent from a year earlier.