China's gold output fell by 9.85 per cent from a year ago to 206.542 tonnes in the first half of 2017, state media said on Friday, citing data from the China Gold Association.

The country's consumption, however, was up by 9.89 per cent to 545.23 tonnes over the same period, said the People's Daily, leading to higher imports by the world's top gold consumer as indicated by data out of Hong Kong on Thursday.