China's basic pension fund saw a return on investments of 9.03 percent last year, the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security said Tuesday.

The fund, run by the National Council for Social Security Fund, earned investment income totaling 66.39 billion yuan (10.09 billion U.S. dollars) last year, data from the ministry shows.

The total assets of the fund had reached over 1 trillion yuan by the end of last year.

China started market operation of the pension fund in 2016, with the aim of preserving and increasing its value.