Since 2024, China's waterway transportation industry has shown a sustained and rapid growth trend, whether it is in the coastal or inland river, whether it is domestic trade or foreign trade, waterway cargo transport has shown a positive growth trend. According to official data, from January to the end of May 2024, the total volume of waterway freight has successfully completed 3.86 billion tons nationwide, an increase of 7 percent compared with the same period last year, showing strong market demand and transportation vitality.

At the same time, container throughput at China's major ports is also showing encouraging growth. According to statistics, in the first five months alone, the container throughput of the port has exceeded 130 million TEU, with a year-on-year growth rate of 8.8%, which not only highlights the prosperity of China's foreign trade, but also highlights the important position of the port as a logistics hub.

The development and application of Chinese ports in the field of automation technology has reached the international leading level. In recent years, China's ports have continuously promoted automation and intelligent transformation, and achieved remarkable results. In the first half of 2024, Chinese ports added seven new large automated terminals, which not only improve the efficiency of port operations, but also reduce labor costs, further enhancing the competitiveness of Chinese ports. At present, the number of automated terminals built or under construction in China continues to rank first in the world, which indicates that China has taken the global lead in the field of port automation technology.

China has also made remarkable progress in the informatization and intellectualization of waterway transportation. The waterway mileage covered by the national electronic waterway map has exceeded 5,700 kilometers, which not only reflects China's achievements in waterway informatization construction, but also provides a strong guarantee for the safe navigation of ships. In the future, China will continue to increase scientific and technological investment in ports, waterways and other fields to promote the sustainable and healthy development of the waterway transportation industry.Editor/Zhang Liyuan