China's cement output picked up as the country's real estate investment has grown quickly, latest statistics from the country's top economic planner indicated. Cement output rose 0.5 percent year on year to 1.38 billion tonnes in the first eight months, in contrast to the 0.5-percent decline seen during the same period last year, the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) said on its website.

In August, the cement output gained 5 percent, compared to the 3.7-percent drop in August last year, said the NDRC.

The data came as China's real estate investment has grown quickly in the first seven months of this year.

China's property investment increased 10.2 percent year on year in the first seven months, compared to the 9.7-percent expansion recorded in the January-June period, official data showed.