China imported 19.8 billion cubic meters of natural gas in the first six months of this year, up by 44.6 percent year-on-year, China Business News reported Thursday, citing data from the National Development and Reform Commission, China's economy planner.

China's apparent consumption of natural gas, which is the sum of net import and domestic output, hit 72.1 billion cubic meters in the first half of this year, up by 15.9 percent year-on-year.

However, China's domestic natural gas output grew 6.7 percent year-on-year to 53.9 billion cubic meters in the first six months of this year.

China will increase imports to meet domestic demand for natural gas as the country enters winter in the middle of November, said Liang Jin, an analyst at commodities online trading platform, 315.com.cn.

The gap between China's demand for natural gas and domestic output will become larger, China Business News reported, citing an unnamed analyst.