BEIJING — China reported a faster increase in its natural gas output in June, official data showed.

The country's natural gas output totaled 17.2 billion cubic meters last month, rising 13.1 percent year-on-year, according to the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS).

The growth rate went up from a 5.8 percent year-on-year increase registered in May.

In the first half, the output of natural gas in China amounted to 104.5 billion cubic meters, increasing 10.9 percent from the same period a year earlier, the NBS said.

The imports of natural gas grew rapidly in June, with the volume jumping 22.6 percent from a year earlier to 10.21 million metric tons.