BEIJING, May 17 -- China's production of natural gas has maintained steady expansion in the first four months of 2024, data from the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) showed Friday.

The country produced 83 billion cubic meters of natural gas in the January-April period, up 5 percent from a year earlier.

China's natural gas imports also posted fast growth during this period, NBS data showed. A total of 43 million tonnes of natural gas was imported in the first four months of 2024, up 20.7 percent year on year.

In April alone, the natural gas output expanded 3.2 percent year on year to 19.8 billion cubic meters, according to the bureau.