The first shipment of iron ore from Sierra Leone's New Tonkolili Iron Ore Project set sail for China from the country's Pepel Port on Friday.

China also added a net 1.2GW of nuclear capacity to 49.9GW, 12.1GW of hydro to 370.2GW and 55.6GW of thermal capacity to 1,245GW.

China imported 3.57mn t of coking coal last month, down by 4pc from 3.72mn t in November.

The country produced 30.14mn t of crude stainless steel in 2020, up by 2.51pc from 2019.

The 2105 ferrosilicon contract price on ZCE closed at 6582 yuan per ton on February 2.

China's steel sector registered output expansion last year, industrial data showed.

China's steel sector registered output expansion last year, industrial data showed.

The 2105 ferrosilicon contract price on ZCE closed at 6752 yuan per ton on February 1.