China’s steel mills produced 1.687 million tonnes of steel a day in the middle 10 days of December, up 1.2 percent compared with the previous 10 day period, according to data from the country’s steel association.

The China Iron and Steel Association said the rise in output was partly caused by an end to restrictions imposed on steel mills in order to meet state pollution and energy efficiency targets for 2010.

It also said that an increase in prices over the period helped stimulate output.

(Sourced from Reuters).