China's transport sector recorded stable growth in the first-quarter, with notable increases in freight volume, port throughput and infrastructure investment, an official with the Ministry of Transport said at a press conference Thursday.
Figure shows that China handled 13.06 billion tonnes of commercial freight during the first three months of the year, representing a 4.9 percent increase compared to the same period last year.
The country's courier service sector delivered more than 4.51 billion parcels in the first quarter, a 21.6 percent year-on-year surge.
"In the first quarter, the port cargo throughput was completed at 4.22 billion tons, a year-on-year increase of 3.2 percent. The container throughput reached 83.03 million twenty-feet units (TEUs), increasing by 8.2 percent year on year. Among them, the throughput in domestic and foreign trade routes increased by 3.6 percent and 11.5 percent respectively year-on-year," said Jin Jingdong, deputy director of the Department of Comprehensive Planning of the Ministry of Transport.
On the other hand, in the first quarter of this year, China completed 675.2 billion yuan (92.7 billion U.S. dollars) in transportation fixed asset investment, maintaining an overall high scale.
Jin said that the Ministry of Transport will continue to accelerate the implementation of major transportation projects and stabilize the scale of effective investment.
"The construction of a number of major projects, including the Container Terminal in Xiaoyangshan North Operation Area of Yangshan Port Area and the Pinglu Canal, is progressing smoothly. The preparation work for a batch of new projects, such as G3033 highway from Kuitun to Dushanzi, and the Three Gorges Water Transport New Channel, is speeding up, and we strive to start construction within the year," Jin said.
China's cargo transport volume sees steady growth in Q1
