BEIJING — China's road cargo transport posted steady expansion in the first seven months of this year, official data showed.

Road freight volume climbed 5.8 percent year-on-year to 22.6 billion tonnes in the January-July period, according to the Ministry of Transport.

During the period, southeast China's Fujian province registered the fastest yearly growth of 11.9 percent in the amount of cargo transported by roads, followed by 11.7 percent in Shanxi and 11.4 percent in Heilongjiang.

Highway freight volume stood at 8.5 billion tonnes in the first seven months, up 9.1 percent from a year earlier, the ministry said.

The amount of cargo transported by water rose 7.4 percent year-on-year to 4.1 billion tonnes in the same period.