China’s Ministry of Transport has reported that the country’s ports handled a total cargo throughput of 8.9 billion tonnes between January and June 2025, representing a year-on-year increase of 4 per cent.
Domestic trade throughput rose by 5.0 per cent compared to the same period last year, while foreign trade throughput saw a 1.8 per cent increase. Container throughput reached 170 million twenty-foot equivalent units (TEU), marking a 6.9 per cent rise on a year-on-year basis.
The ten leading ports by container volume during this period were Shanghai, Ningbo-Zhoushan, Shenzhen, Qingdao, Guangzhou, Tianjin, Xiamen, Suzhou, Beibu Gulf, and Rizhao.
The growth in port volumes occurred amid significant changes to United States import tariffs under President Donald Trump’s administration, with tariffs reportedly peaking at 145 per cent.
These adjustments contributed to a decrease in cargo volumes between China and the US.
However, continued demand from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and the European Union (EU) helped to mitigate the impact of reduced shipments to the US.
In terms of total cargo throughput, the top ten ports were Ningbo-Zhoushan, Tangshan, Shanghai, Qingdao, Guangzhou, Rizhao, Suzhou, Tianjin, Yantai, and Beibu Gulf.
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