China’s major ports see strong growth, diversified expansion in Port News 05/06/2026 China’s transport sector remained generally stable in the first four months, with key indicators such as freight volume, port cargo throughput, and cross-regional passenger flows continuing to grow, according to data from the Ministry of Transport (MOT). According to the MOT data, China’s commercial freight volume reached 18.17 billion tons from January to April, up 3.6 percent year-on-year, CCTV News reported. China’s ports handled 5.93 billion tons of cargo, up 3.1 percent year-on-year, with foreign trade cargo throughput increasing by 5.5 percent. Container throughput also surged, reaching 120 million standard containers, up 7.2 percent year-on-year, the data showed. Several ports launched new international routes in April, which helped boost ports’ performance and laid the groundwork for further growth in cargo throughput, the Global Times learned from ports and media reports. “In April, we opened three new Africa-bound shipping routes… The launch of these new routes will significantly improve transport efficiency, help customers in sectors such as electronics, vehicles, chemicals, and construction gain a competitive edge in African markets, and further promote economic and social development across the African continent,” Qu Jiaoming, director of the container center at the Business Department of Ningbo Zhoushan Port Co, told the Global Times on Wednesday. Also in April, the second Africa-bound container shipping route of the year was officially launched at Qingdao Port in East China’s Shandong Province. With this addition, Qingdao Port now operates 11 Africa container routes, providing targeted coverage of key markets in East Africa, West Africa, and North Africa, according to the port. A direct container shipping route from Tianjin Port Group to South Africa also commenced operations in April. The launch of this route effectively fills a gap in recent years in direct shipping