A cargo ship sails near Qingdao Port in East China's Shandong Province. Photo: VCG

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) on Wednesday.

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 services between Tianjin Port and South African ports, according to the Tianjin Municipal Transportation Commission.

Major transport indicators maintained growth in the first four months, reflecting an overall steady performance of China's foreign trade. Among them, container throughput and foreign trade cargo throughput recorded relatively faster growth, indicating continued expansion in global demand for Chinese manufactured goods, Gao Lingyun, a research fellow at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, told the Global Times on Wednesday.

This performance did not come easily, especially against a backdrop of a complex global environment overshadowed by geopolitical conflicts and rising protectionism, the expert said.

One important driver of the steady growth is that a number of ports have recently launched new shipping routes targeting emerging markets such as Africa, Gao said, noting that this signals deeper trade ties between China and developing countries and regions in Africa, and points to the gradual formation of a more diversified international trade network.

In the first four months of the year, China-Africa bilateral trade reached $126.84 billion, up 22.8 percent year-on-year. Since May 1, China has fully implemented a zero-tariff policy for all 53 African countries with which it has diplomatic relations, boosting China-Africa trade.

In terms of air cargo, data released by the Aviation Logistics Branch of the China Federation of Logistics and Purchasing showed that 21 new international cargo routes were launched nationwide in April alone, highlighting rising trade demand, China News Service reported.

China's efforts to diversify trade routes are helping to boost trade resilience, making Chinese products more accessible to a wider range of countries and regions while also facilitating the flow of goods from other countries into China's vast market, Gao said, noting that such moves lay a solid foundation for a positive outlook for foreign trade in the months ahead.