A labourer works at an oil refinery in Nanjing, capital of east China's Jiangsu province May 15, 2007. China's crude oil imports surged 23 percent in April from a year earlier to a record high, while net product imports also climbed 11 percent as refiners geared up for peak summer demand, government data showed on Tuesday. [Reuters]

China's imports of oil and coal rose in April, as the country's fast-growing economy continued to boost demand for fuel and power generation.

China's crude oil imports rose 23 percent in April from a year ago to a record monthly high, a report by the General Administration of Customs showed Tuesday.

Imports in April totaled 14.8 million metric tons, or an average of 3.62 million barrels a day, the report showed. Imports for the January-to-April period rose 10.8 percent from a year earlier to 54.46 million tons, or 3.33 million barrels a day.

China also imported more coal than it exported in April. Coal imports rose 27.1 percent from a year ago to 4.92 million metric tons in April, according to data released Tuesday by the General Administration of Customs. China's coal exports for April fell 18.5 percent from last year to 4.46 million tons.

In April, the Chinese government said its economy grew 11.1 percent in the first quarter.