BEIJING, June 16 (Xinhua) -- China's output of natural gas climbed 12.9 percent year on year to 14.4 billion cubic meters last month, according to official data.

The growth expanded from the 7.9-percent increase registered in April, data from the National Bureau of Statistics showed.

In the first five months, China's natural gas production rose 9.8 percent from last year to 72.5 billion cubic meters.

Imports of natural gas came in at 7.56 million tonnes last month, with an increase of 2 percent from a year earlier.

The country imported 39.43 million tonnes of natural gas in the January-May period, up 13.4 percent year on year.