China's gold output rose 8 percent to 169.3 tons between January and September, or 12.6 tons more than the same period of last year, said the latest data from the China Gold Association.

In September, the country's gold production came to 19.17 tons, said China Business News, quoting the association's report.

In the first three quarters, the industrial output value of China's gold-producing enterprises amounted to 36.88 billion yuan (US$4.61 billion), an increase of 34.53 percent from January-September period of 2005.

Profits totaled 3.9 billion yuan (US$487.5 million), up 51.52 percent during the nine-month period, the trading volume at the Shanghai Gold Exchange stood at 896,269 kilograms, a rise of 34.64 percent year on year.

(Xinhua News Agency November 8, 2006)