BEIJING, Aug. 24 -- China's transport sector maintained a steady recovery in July, adding to evidence of the country's continued economic recovery.

The country's freight volume expanded 7.1 percent year on year to 4.74 billion tonnes in July, with the pace of increase accelerating from a rise of 4.3 percent in June, Sun Wenjian, spokesperson of the Ministry of Transport, said at a press conference Thursday.

Last month, the country's port throughput rose 6.6 percent year on year to 1.43 billion tonnes. The container throughput reached 27.05 million twenty-foot equivalent units, up 2.6 percent year on year, according to Sun.

Passenger transport posted strong growth last month amid the summer travel rush, as college students return home for the summer vacation, while family visits and tourist trips also surge during the period.

The country's transport sector handled a total of 910 million passenger trips in July, surging 47 percent from one year earlier.