The country's hard coal consumption jumped by 19 percent and 10 percent, respectively, in 2021 and 2022.

IMPALA Platinum (Implats) said refined platinum group metal (PGM) production would come in at the lower end of its three to 3.15 million ounce forecast for the 2023 financial year ended June 30 largely owing to power interruptions.

Indian bread and biscuits maker Britannia Industries Ltd on Friday reported a bigger-than-expected 47% jump in quarterly profit as strong demand and past price hikes helped expand margins.

All these factors will support a surge in steel consumption in the third and fourth quarters of this year, the VSA added.

Shanxi's raw coal output accounted for about 29 percent of the country's total in the first quarter.

"We expect more cooperation with China in the years to come to facilitate its accelerated energy transition, continued economic development and improvement in living standards."

China's raw coal output posted stable expansion in March, official data showed.

From the perspective of policy measures, the immediate task is to boost confidence of market entities rather than implement a strong stimulus.