BEIJING, May 9 (Xinhua) -- China's gold consumption edged up in the first quarter of 2026, mainly driven by the strong demand for gold bars and coins, data from the China Gold Association showed on Saturday.

The country's gold consumption totaled 303.29 tonnes in the first three months of the year, up 4.41 percent year on year, according to the data.

In breakdown, consumption for gold bars and coins surged 46.4 percent to 202.06 tonnes, while gold jewelry consumption fell 37.1 percent to 84.62 tonnes.

Q1 also witnessed robust inflows into gold exchange-traded funds (ETF), which added 50.44 tonnes during the period, surging 114.88 percent year on year and lifting total ETF holdings to 298.29 tonnes by the end of March, according to the data. ■