BEIJING -- China's crude oil output maintained steady expansion in the first nine months of the year, official data showed.

The output totaled 153.75 million tons from January to September, rising 3 percent year-on-year, according to the National Bureau of Statistics.

In September alone, China's crude oil output amounted to 16.81 million tonnes, climbing 1.4 percent from a year ago and reversing the 0.2 percent decline in August.

Last month, China processed a total of 56.81 million tons of crude oil, up 1.9 percent year-on-year, the bureau said.