China's ports maintained steady growth in the first four months of the year, with container throughput rising faster than overall cargo volume, according to data released on Tuesday by the Ministry of Transport of China.

From January to April, ports nationwide handled 5.93 billion metric tons of cargo, up 3.1 percent year-on-year. Container throughput reached 120 million twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs), an increase of 7.2 percent, the ministry said.

In April alone, national port cargo throughput stood at 1.54 billion tons, up 0.6 percent from a year earlier, while container throughput rose 5.1 percent year-on-year to 30.71 million TEUs.

The figures indicate continued recovery in port operations and steady logistics demand, particularly in container shipping. In the first four months, foreign trade container throughput reached 75.23 million TEUs, up 10.9 percent year-on-year, outpacing the growth of domestic container traffic.

The data was released during the "Water Transport China" media event held in Zhejiang, using Ningbo Zhoushan Port as a window to showcase developments in China's port and shipping sector.

At the Yiwu international hub port, automated container trucks and remotely controlled gantry cranes are part of daily operations. Containers carrying small commodities from Yiwu are transported via rail-sea intermodal trains to Ningbo Zhoushan Port before being shipped overseas.

Zhejiang has been advancing its "Shipping Zhejiang" initiative, focusing on waterway infrastructure, shifting more freight from road to waterways, promoting smart and green port technologies, and strengthening integration between shipping and related industries.

The 10th Maritime Silk Road Port Cooperation Forum was also held in Ningbo. With the theme "Resilient Coordination, Win-win Future," the forum focused on port cooperation and supply chain resilience amid rising fragmentation in global trade.

Organizers said the forum has become an important platform for ports, shipping companies and related institutions to strengthen cooperation and improve connectivity.