China's imports of liquefied natural gas (LNG) in November surged to a new record as the country briskly promotes the green fuel to clean its energy mix.

Some 5.99 million tonnes of LNG were transported to China last month, up 48.5 percent from a year ago, data from the General Administration of Customs said Sunday.

Total LNG imports in the first 11 months reached 47.52 million tonnes, up 43.6 percent year on year.

The country's appetite for natural gas has swelled rapidly in recent years, in part driven by environmental policies to replace dirtier coal-fired electricity generation. Other clean energy sources including wind and solar power are also being encouraged.

China surpassed the Republic of Korea to become the world's second-largest LNG importer in 2017, coming in second to Japan.