BEIJING - China's 2020 gas consumption is expected to rise to around 320 billion cubic metres (bcm), state energy group China National Petroleum Corp's (CNPC) research arm said on Thursday.

China's gas consumption in 2019 is expected to exceed 300 bcm in 2019, up 9% year-on-year, Jiang Xuefeng, vice chairman at CNPC's Economics and Technology Research Institute (ETRI), said at a briefing in Beijing on Thursday.

(Reporting by Muyu Xua and Shivani Singh in Beijing; Editing by Muralikumar Anantharaman) ((ShivaniSingh2@thomsonreuters.com; +861056692115; Reuters Messaging: shivanisingh2.thomsonreuters.com@reuters.net))