Beijing, Aug 28 (IANS): China's crude oil output rose slightly year-on-year in July, according to data released Wednesday by the country's top economic planner.

The National Development and Reform Commission said in a statement that crude oil production stood at 17.29 million tonnes in July, up 0.3 percent from a year earlier, Xinhua reported.

Last month, the country refined 37.9 million tonnes of crude oil, up 10.9 percent year-on-year. Refined oil products rose by 8.5 percent to 23.28 million tonnes, the commission said.

Apparent consumption, calculated by production plus imports minus exports, of refined oil products increased 4.8 percent from a year earlier to 23.23 million tonnes.

In July, natural gas output rose 12 percent to 9.4 billion cubic metres, while imports surged 35.1 percent to 4.7 billion cubic metres.

Apparent consumption of natural gas climbed 16.9 percent year-on-year to 13.3 billion cubic metres, according to the statement.