China's gold market is currently restricted to spot trading, but the SGE has been developing derivatives such as futures, options and investment funds.

Cheng predicted the country's gold output would exceed 240 tons this year, with gold sector profits topping 5.5 billion yuan, a record high.

The country produced 169.28 tons of gold in the first three quarters of the year, a rise of 12.62 tons on the same period last year, and raked in 3.9 billion yuan (about 487 million U.S. dollars) in pre-tax profits, up 52 percent on comparable figures from last year.

China now ranks third in the world in terms of gold consumption, after India and the United States.

Song Yuqin, deputy general manager of SGE, said Chinese people are fond of gold and are keen to keep gold as an asset.
Gold consumption exceeded 300 tons in China last year, 81 percent of which went to the jewellery-making sector.

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