China's gold output exceeds 164 tonnes in H1

China's gold output grew by 5.18 tonnes, or 3.25 percent year-on-year to 164.42 tonnes during the first half of the year, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) said Friday. In June alone, the country produced 32.39 tonnes of gold, according to a statement on the ministry's website. The combined output value of Chinese gold producers amounted to 119.54 billion yuan (18.55 billion U.S. dollars) during the first half, up 23.37 percent from a year earlier. The gold producers' first-half profits jumped 34.19 percent year-on-year to 13.76 billion yuan, the statement said.