BEIJING, April 12 -- China imported 5.7 million tonnes of coal in March, up 37.4 percent year on year, according to the General Administration of Customs.

    Analysts attributed the rise to recovering domestic demand and the fact that imported coal was cheaper than the domestic product.

    Electricity generation, a key indicator of China's economic health, dropped 0.71 percent from a year earlier to 287 billion kilowatt hours in March.

    The decline had slowed from the 3.7 percent year-on-year declines in January and February, showing recovery signs.

    Xinhua News Agency correspondents reporting from Beijing. (XHTV)