(This May 9 story has been repeated with no changes to the text)
BEIJING, May 9 (Reuters) - China's gold production fell in the first quarter of 2026 versus the same period a year earlier, the China Gold Association said on Saturday, as safety inspections led some smelters to suspend production for maintenance.
o Total gold production from domestic and imported raw materials was 136.230 metric tons in the first quarter, down 3.3% from the corresponding period a year ago.
o Domestic production in the quarter was 81.065 tons, down 7.1% from the previous year.
o Gold consumption in the quarter reached 303.292 tons, up 4.4% from a year earlier, led by a big jump in gold bars and coins, up 46.4% to 202.062 tons. Gold jewelry consumption fell 37.1% to 84.62 tons.
o "Investment demand for gold remained strong, with gold bars and coins becoming popular investment products, and gold bar sales through bank channels increasing significantly," the association said in a statement.
(Reporting by Lewis Jackson and Xiangming Hou in Beijing; Editing by Tom Hogue)
