Data from the General Administration of Customs showed that LNG imports totalled 5.96 million tonnes last month.
In the period from January to August, the country imported 42.17 million tonnes of chilled fuel, an increase of 10 percent year-on-year.
Pipeline gas imports from China, on the other hand, have increased by 8 percent to 3.40 million tonnes. But in the nine-month period, they are still down year-on-year to 22.90 million tonnes.
China is the world's second-largest LNG importer behind Japan at the moment, but this could change this year.
Over the January-August period, Japan's LNG imports stood at 48.40 million tonnes, up 6.23 million tonnes compared to China.
Maritime Business World