BEIJING — China's cargo throughput at ports climbed 8.8 percent year-on-year to 13.95 billion metric tons in 2019, official data showed.

Foreign trade cargo throughput amounted to 4.32 billion tons last year, up 4.8 percent year-on-year, according to the Ministry of Transport (MOT).

Meanwhile, container throughput at ports registered a 4.4-percent increase to around 261.1 million TEUs (20-foot equivalent units) in the same period.

At the beginning of 2019, the MOT expanded the statistical range from major ports to all ports across the country.

The cargo throughput growth at ports came amid the steady expansion of China's waterway freight volume, which increased 6.3 percent year-on-year to 7.47 billion tons in 2019.