Engineers work at a gas field in Bayingolin Mongol autonomous prefecture in Northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region. (Photo: IC)

BEIJING - China's natural gas output posted steady growth in November, data from the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) showed.

The output hit 15.1 billion cubic meters last month, up 8 percent year-on-year, 0.2 percentage points lower than that in October, according to the NBS.

In the first 11 months of the year, 157.5 billion cubic meters of natural gas were produced, up 9.2 percent year-on-year.

The country imported 9.46 million tons of natural gas in November, up 3.3 percent year-on-year. In the first 11 months, natural gas imports totaled 87.11 million tons, up 7.4 percent year-on-year.

The country's annual natural gas output is expected to increase by over 11 billion cubic meters this year, according to the National Development and Reform Commission.