BEIJING — China's natural gas output posted fast growth in March, according to official data.

The output jumped 11.2 percent year-on-year to 16.9 billion cubic meters last month, data from the National Bureau of Statistics has shown.

Average daily production hit 540 million cubic meters.

During the first quarter, the country's natural gas production rose 9.1 percent year-on-year to 48.3 billion cubic meters.

The country's natural gas imports slowed down last month, official data also showed.

Imports reached 6.92 million tons, down 0.2 percent from a year ago.