Chinese ports post strong growth

China's ports have maintained a strong performance this year, with increases in port throughput and investment in water transportation infrastructure, the Ministry of Transport said on Friday.

According to data released by the ministry at a news conference held by the State Council Information Office on Friday, the country's ports handled 6.75 billion metric tons of cargo from January to May, a year-on-year increase of 7.9 percent. Investment in water transportation infrastructure across the country amounted to 73.4 billion yuan ($10.1 billion), up 30.3 percent year-on-year.

"China's ports have maintained a good operational momentum this year," said Fu Xuyin, deputy minister of transport, at the conference.

He added that the ministry has guided local governments in 10 coastal provinces and seven provinces along the Yangtze River to form provincial-level port groups driven by market forces and capital. Efforts are also underway to promote the coordinated development of port clusters in the Bohai Rim, Yangtze River Delta, and Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, with the aim of forming three world-class port clusters in China.

Fu said the ministry, together with four other departments, has issued an action plan to promote the high-quality development of rail-water transportation from 2023 to 2025. The plan aims to develop railway connections to ports. From January to May, the nation's container rail-water transportation volume increased by 10.2 percent a year-on-year, reducing logistics costs and time.