BEIJING — China's ports saw the continuous expansion of cargo throughput in the first quarter of the year (Q1) as the economy registered stable growth, official data showed.

Cargo throughput at ports came in at 3.63 billion metric tons in the period, up 1.6 percent year-on-year, according to the Ministry of Transport.

During the first quarter, container handling volume at China's ports rose by 2.4 percent from a year ago to 67.38 million twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs), the data showed.

In March alone, China's ports handled 1.27 billion tons of cargo, while container throughput stood at 23.79 million TEUs, according to the ministry.