BEIJING — China's container throughput at ports recorded stable expansion in the first five months of the year, data from the Ministry of Transport showed.

During the January-May period, the container handling volume at China's ports rose 2.3 percent from one year earlier to 116.48 million twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs), according to the ministry.

Cargo throughput at the country's ports topped 6.25 billion tons in the same period, edging down 0.5 percent year-on-year, the data showed.

In May alone, China's ports handled more than 1.34 billion tons of cargo, while container throughput stood at 25.43 million TEUs, both registering month-on-month growth, said the ministry.