Exports surged by 28 percent to 1.06 trillion yuan, while imports were recorded at 950 billion yuan, an increase of 14.2 percent.

Their total profits stood at 8.4 trillion yuan in this period, down 4 percent from a year earlier, the NBS data revealed.

Last year, Shanxi provided 620 million tonnes of thermal coal for another 24 provincial-level regions in China, according to the provincial statistics bureau.

The commission is a statutory authority formed in 2020 to curb the growing air pollution in the National Capital Region and adjoining areas.

This year, Inner Mongolia will also step up the clean and efficient use of coal, Wang said.

China aims to have its CO2 emissions peak before 2030 and achieve carbon neutrality before 2060.

China's raw coal output posted stable expansion in December 2022, official data showed.

Exports would recover slowly because of the global economic downturn, according to the newspaper.