STATISTICS  from the Chinese Ministry of Transportation showed that the country's container throughput experienced a substantial year-on-year growth of 25.5 per cent to 11.4 million TEU, thus returning to the pre-downturn level before August 2008,Xinhua reported.

Aggregate throughput tonnage of the Chinese ports increased 32.9 per cent to 637 million tonnes. Seaports contributed to a tonnage of 439 million tonnes, up 30.4 per cent. River ports recorded a total tonnage of 197 million tonnes, up 38.9 per cent.

In this month, half of those port with a throughput of over 100 million tonnes achieved growth faster than 30 per cent. Port of Ningbo-Zhoushan recorded a growthof 50.5 per cent and Shanghai was up 45 per cent. Thetwo ports made the greatest contribution to China's totaltonnage.

Shenzhen also showed a consistent growth tendency which accelerated increasingly faster. Growth of ports in southern China is surpassing those in the north.