China's non-ferrous metal industry saw operation income grow last year amid the sector's continuous restructuring reform, data from the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) showed.

The industry's main operation income, measured by industrial enterprises that each post an annual income of more than 20 million yuan (2.9 million U.S. dollars), rose 7.1 percent year on year to over 6 trillion yuan in 2019, according to the MIIT.

The pace is 2.6 percentage points higher than the average level of the industrial sector.

Total profits stood at 157.8 billion yuan, down 6.5 percent year on year, as a result of declining prices of non-ferrous metals, said the ministry.

The MIIT said the sector will continue efforts in restructuring and cutting overcapacity in 2020.

Non-ferrous metals are significant industrial resources that have been widely used in the primary sectors such as transportation, electricity, construction, telecommunication, energy, information technology and materials.