China's building materials sector sees steady expansion in Q1

BEIJING -- China saw the added value of its building materials sector rise at a steady pace of 1.6 percent year-on-year during the first quarter, according to data from the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology.

In March, the added value of the industry climbed 2.1 percent from a year earlier.

China's cement output reached 387 million tons, down 12.1 percent year-on-year in the first quarter. In March, the cement output fell 5.6 percent year-on-year to 187 million tons.

The output of flat glass rose 2 percent year-on-year in the first quarter and 2.2 percent in March, the ministry's data showed.