China crude oil output down 2.1%

BEIJING - China's crude oil output edged down 2.1 percent year on year to 17.69 million tons in January, data from the top economic planner showed Friday.

The National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) said that China refined 38.66 million tons of crude in the month, down 1.8 percent year on year.

Output of refined oil products shrank 1.8 percent to 24.41 million tons, while consumption of refined products dropped 2.9 percent to 22.09 million tons.

In the same period, natural gas output rose 4.1 percent to 13.1 billion cubic meters, while imports gained 22.6 percent to 7.6 billion cubic meters.

Consumption of natural gas climbed 17.6 percent to 22.3 billion cubic meters, according to the NDRC.