China National Petroleum Corp. (CNPC), the country's largest oil and gas producer, on Friday said its domestic crude oil output rose 466,700 tons in the first half over the same period a year earlier.

CNPC, parent of PetroChina, said its production had met 50.03 percent of the full-year target despite the worst snowstorm in more than five decades from January to February and the massive Sichuan earthquake on May 12.

Meanwhile, natural gas output increased 4.6 billion cubic meters, up 17.6 percent from a year earlier.

The state-owned oil giant added its overseas crude and gas output had met 50.4 percent and 54 percent, respectively, of its full-year target.

It didn't give absolute and comparative figures.

Last year, the company produced 107.65 million tons of crude and 54.2 billion cubic meters of gas domestically.

(Xinhua News Agency July 12, 2008)