Crude oil production fell 4.6% in first half of the year Coal output declined 9.7% from year ago to 1.63 billion tons The world’s biggest consumer of energy is producing less of it. China’s crude output dropped 4.6 percent to 101.59 million metric tons in the first six months of the year, the lowest for that period since 2012, according to data from the National Bureau of Statistics on Friday. Coal production fell 9.7 percent to 1.63 billion tons in the first half of the year. For June, crude tumbled 8.9 percent, coal fell 16.6 percent and natural gas slipped 0.5 percent. Ethylene output also decreased to the lowest in a year to 1.39 million tons. The cutbacks highlight cost and environmental pressures on the world’s second-largest economy as it shifts toward consumer-driven growth and away from industrial production. Oil producers including PetroChina Co. and Cnooc Ltd. shut unprofitable […]