BEIJING — Total handling capacity of China's ports saw year-on-year increases both in August and the first eight months of 2019, official data showed.

China's ports in August handled 1.199 billion tons of cargoes, up 6.4 percent from last year, among which 379 million tons were foreign trade cargoes, according to the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC).

In the January-August period, total handling capacity was up 5.1 percent year-on-year to reach 9.096 billion tons.

Foreign trade cargos accounted for 2.861 billion tons among total handling capacity in the eight-month period, up 3.7 percent from a year ago.

Container handling capacity totaled 172.39 million TEUs (20-foot equivalent units) in the first eight months of this year, a 5-percent year-on-year increase, NDRC data also showed.