BEIJING (AFP) -- China imported 95.8 million tons of crude oil in the first eight months of the year, up 15.3 percent from the same period last year as its booming economy boosted demand, state press said Sunday.

Imports of refined oil products rose by 25.7 year-on-year during the period to 25.75 million tons, Xinhua news agency reported, citing customs statistics.

With 4.15 million tons of crude exports in the first eight months of the year, China's net crude imports during the period stood at 91.65 million tons.

China's exports of crude oil were down by 15.9 percent year-on-year during the period, the report said.

Meanwhile, the costs of crude oil imports rose by 51.3 percent year-on-year through August to 44.5 billion dollars, the report said, while the price of refined oil product imports during the period rose by 79.1 percent to nearly 11 billion dollars.

China's imports of oil have boomed to record highs over the last three years as the nation's economy continues its fast-paced development which notched 10.9 percent growth during the first half of the year.

China consumed 317 million tons of oil in 2005, down slightly from the previous year with net imports for the year standing at 136 million tons, Zhang Guobao, vice-minister of the National Development and Reform Commission said at an energy forum on Tuesday last week.