BEIJING: China’s natural gas output is expected to surpass crude oil production around 2025, China National Petroleum Corp (CNPC) oil and gas exploration expert Zou Caineng said on Friday.

Domestic natural gas output from CNPC, China’s largest producer, topped 130 billion cubic metres (bcm) in 2020, up 11.6 bcm from the previous year, the company said in a statement on its website.