China National Offshore Oil Corp. (CNOOC), the country's leading offshore oil producer, has signed an agreement with Qatargas to buy more liquefied natural gas (LNG) from the latter to meet the growing domestic demand, reported Saturday's China Daily.

The two parties signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) on Friday, under which Qatargas will supply an additional 3 million tonnes of LNG annually.

CNOON is also planning to buy another 2 million tonnes of LNG from Qatargas each year, to further increase the state-owned firm's purchase from the gas-rich country to 7 million tonnes annually, said the newspaper.

The two firms signed a long-term supply agreement last June, under which Qatar would supply 2 million tonnes of LNG per annum for 25 years.