BEIJING - China's gold output in the first 11 months of last year reached 308.39 tons, up 25.885 tons or 9.16 percent year-on-year, according to the latest figures from the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT).

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The MIIT forecasts total gold output in China would exceed 340 tons in 2010, comparing with 313.98 tons of gold produced in 2009.

China's gold output has maintained annual increases in recent years as production in 2010 would likely double that in 2000.

China is a major gold consumer around the world. A World Gold Council report released last March showed China's cumulative gold demand totaled more than $14 billion in 2009, which accounted for about 11 percent of the world's total.