BEIJING, April 26 -- China's cargo and container throughput at ports saw steady expansion in 2023, official data showed.

The country's cargo throughput at ports totaled 16.97 billion tonnes during the period, up 8.2 percent year on year, according to the Ministry of Transport.

Specifically, foreign trade cargo throughput at the ports rose 9.5 percent from the previous year to 5.05 billion tonnes, according to the ministry.

In the same period, China's ports handled 310.34 million twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) of containers, marking an increase of 4.9 percent year on year.