SIMIC

Last year, cargo throughput at China's ports totalled 15.55 billion tonnes, up 6.8 per cent year on year, according to the ministry.

The country's container throughput at ports during the period climbed seven per cent from a year earlier to 282.72 million TEU, the ministry said.

In December 2021, China's ports handled nearly 1.34 billion tonnes of cargo, while container throughput stood at 23.07 million TEU, according to the ministry.

China has adopted multiple measures to cope with the container shortage amid the Covid crisis, such as shipping empty containers back to domestic ports, accelerating the production of containers and promoting digital transformation of ports for smooth flow of cargo.

The country's total goods imports and exports expanded 21.4 per cent year on year to CNY39.1 trillion (US$6.14 trillion) in 2021.