BEIJING, March 2 (Xinhua) -- China's imports of natural gas rose 29.3 percent year on year in January, official data showed.

Imports of natural gas stood at 13.7 billion cubic meters in January, according to the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC).

China's imports of natural gas have seen steady growth to meet increasing domestic consumption, partly driven by government initiatives to use clean energy for winter heating instead of coal.

Natural gas output increased 9.7 percent year-on-year to 15.3 billion cubic meters in January.