BEIJING — Container throughput at China's major ports recorded an accelerated increase in mid-January, data from an industrial association showed.

From Jan 11 to 20, container throughput at China's eight key ports increased 3.3 percent year-on-year, with the growth rate at Tianjin, Qingdao, Shanghai, Ningbo Zhoushan and Xiamen ports exceeding 20 percent, according to the China Ports and Harbours Association.

The boom in container throughput for foreign trade came amid the rapid expansion in China's exports. The country recorded 4-percent growth in exports last year as it emerged from global economic and trade challenges.

During the first 10 months of last year, the country's foreign trade and exports accounted for 12.8 percent and 14.2 percent of the world's total, respectively, both reaching historic highs, statistics showed.