SHANGHAI, Sept. 12 -- China has become the world's largest ship-owning country in terms of gross tonnage, the Ministry of Transport said on Tuesday.

Fleets owned by Chinese shipowners now total 249.2 million gross tonnes, the ministry said at a press conference of the upcoming North Bund Forum in east China's Shanghai.

In 2022, the cargo throughput at China's ports neared 15.7 billion tonnes and the container throughput totaled 296 million twenty-foot equivalent units. Both figures have ranked first globally for years, according to ministry official Gao Haiyun.

About 95 percent of China's foreign trade is carried by sea. China has established sea transport routes with more than 100 countries and regions, covering all coastal countries and regions along the Belt and Road, according to the ministry.

Scheduled between Sept. 22 and 24 in Shanghai, the North Bund Forum aims to promote global cooperation in the shipping industry.