China's aviation fuel consumption is likely to expand 13.1% this year from 2023, while the country's crude oil imports may stay largely flat, according to forecasts by a research arm of state energy giant China National Petroleum Corp (CNPC).

Aviation fuel consumption may hit 39.3 million metric tons this year, and crude oil imports are expected to rise 0.1% to 565 million metric tons, CNPC's Economic & Technology Research Institute (ETRI) said in its annual outlook released on Wednesday. (Reporting by Andrew Hayley; Editing by Himani Sarkar)