China's oil, gas output up slightly in Q1

BEIJING - China's crude oil and natural gas output rose slightly year on year in the first quarter of the year, new data from the country's top economic planner shows.

The National Development and Reform Commission said in a statement released Monday that crude oil production stood at 51.2 million tonnes in the first quarter, up 2.3 percent from the same period last year.

The country refined 109.48 million tonnes of crude oil during the January-March period, up 4.4 percent year on year, while refined oil products rose by 4.6 percent to 67.34 million tonnes, the statement said.

In the first quarter, China's natural gas output rose 6.2 percent to 30.6 billion cubic meters, while natural gas imports surged 34.5 percent to 13.2 billion cubic meters.

Apparent consumption of natural gas climbed 13.4 percent year on year to 44.2 billion cubic meters, according to the statement.