FROM January to April, ports in China recorded a throughput of 3.09 billion tonnes, up 7.5 per cent year on year, but 7.5 percentage points slower than the growth in the same period last year. Container throughput increased 8.4 per cent to 54.17 million TEU, 5.6 percentage points slower year on year, Xinhua reports.

In the same period, road cargo traffic climbed 13.8 per cent to 9.62 billion tonne. Turnover increased 15.1 per cent to 1.72 trillion tonnes per kilometre. Passenger traffic increased 8.6 per cent to 11.67 billion persons. Turnover increased 10.6 per cent to 603.1 billion persons per kilometre.

Waterway cargo traffic grew 8.9 per cent to 1.41 billion tonnes. Turnover grew 10.9 per cent to 2.54 trillion tonnes per kilometre. Passenger traffic went up 2.5 per cent to 72.99 million persons. Turnover increased 2.7 per cent to 2.16 billion persons per kilometre.

In this period, investment on road and waterway fixed assets fell 5.2 per cent to CNY285.8 billion (US$45 billion), 19.7 percentage points slower than the growth in the same period last year.

Road facility investment dropped 7.7 per cent to CNY24.42 billion, 21.6 percentage points slower year on year. Waterway investment climbed 11.9 per cent to CNY36.4 billion, 19.1 percentage points slower year on year.