China's liquefied natural gas imports rose to 4.9 million tons in May, marking a marginal year-on-year increase. The rebound offers a stark contrast to April's imports, which hit an eight-year low, with the country raising purchases to satisfy summer demand, Bloomberg News reported Tuesday.

The Iran war has choked Gulf shipments, which typically supply one-third of China's needs. Qatar's drop was offset by increases from Canada, Malaysia, Oman and Russia, according to the report.

State-owned CNOOC (SHA:600938, HKG:0883) and Zhejiang Energy have purchased cargoes for June and July delivery amid falling inventories and expected hot summer weather, Bloomberg wrote.

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