In January 2026, China’s Ministry of Transport released the 2025’s national port cargo and container throughput data. In 2025, China’s ports handled a total of 18.34 billion tons of cargos, representing a year-on-year increase of 4.2%. In terms of foreign trade cargo, the throughput reached 5.653 billion tons, up by 4.7% compared to last year. Total container throughput reached 0.354 billion TEUs, a yearly increase of 6.8%.

Nationwide, cargo throughput at most Chinese ports posted yearly growth in 2025, with both coastal ports (except Liaoning) and inland river ports (except Guangdong and Guizhou).

The 2025 data shows that foreign trade throughput at the major Chinese ports were mixed, with most coastal ports (excluding Liaoning) and inland river ports (excluding Jiangxi and Hu’nan) reporting a yearly growth. Container throughput at most Chinese ports maintained a steady growth.

(Source: Ministry of Transport)