China's imports of liquefied natural gas at its only receiving facility on the east coast fell by 33 percent last month, according to the country's customs.

Purchases by Guangdong Dapeng LNG Co, a venture between China National Offshore Oil Corp and BP Plc, dropped to 122,911 metric tons from 182,210 tons a year earlier, according to data from the Beijing-based General Administration of Customs released yesterday.

The decline may be because of a cargo delivery's delay to early March, Thomas King, president of Guangdong Dapeng LNG, said yesterday.

(Shanghai Daily March 25, 2008)