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

The figure dropped by 1.4 percentage points from the previous quarter, according to the National Bureau of Statistics.

Thanks to the digitalization of the coal industry, miners no longer need to enter the deep mineshafts via walking or riding on a small, outdated train.

"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."

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

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

The institute has developed the 0.08mm ultra-thin grain-oriented silicon steel strip and iron core in collaboration with several other companies and institutes including China Iron & Steel Research Institute Group.

China's steel sector saw output expansion in the first quarter of the year, industrial data showed.