China: cement output up 2.5% in 2016

China's cement output rose 2.5 per cent YoY to 2.4bnt in 2016, compared with the 4.9 per cent drop in 2015, according to the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC).

The data came as the property sector also gained momentum last year boosted by interest rate cuts and lower deposits. The real estate sector's recovery, however, has been uneven from city to city, with economically strong areas reporting drastic price rises, and less developed areas still reporting huge inventories of unsold houses.