BEIJING — China reported an increase in its natural gas output in August, official data shows.

The country's natural gas output totaled 15.9 billion cubic meters last month, rising 11.3 percent year-on-year, according to the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS).

The volume rose 15.5 percent from that in August 2019, putting the two-year average growth at 7.5 percent.

In the first eight months, China's natural gas output amounted to 136.1 billion cubic meters, increasing 10.8 percent from a year earlier, the NBS said.

Imports of natural gas rose 22.2 percent from a year earlier to 79.31 million tonnes in the same period.