BEIJING — China's cargo throughput at ports grew 2.2 percent year-on-year to 9.29 billion tons in the first eight months of this year, official data showed.

At the beginning of 2020, the Ministry of Transport (MOT) expanded the statistical range from major ports to all ports across the country.

Foreign trade cargo throughput amounted to 2.97 billion tons in the January-August period, up 3.7 percent year-on-year, according to an MOT report.

Meanwhile, the report said container throughput at ports slid 2.5 percent during the period to 168.1 million twenty-foot equivalent units, the report said.

In the first eight months, China's waterway freight volume totaled 4.76 billion tons, down 5.9 percent year-on-year, MOT data showed.