Among the top 10 ports in the world, China holds many seats and ranks among the top in terms of port cargo throughput and other indicators. At the end of the year and the beginning of the year, there was a busy flow of large ships and loading and unloading, and the cargo and container throughput of many ports continued to break records. On December 2, 2025, the annual container throughput of Ningbo Zhoushan Port exceeded 40 million TEUs for the first time, becoming the third port in the world to join the "40 million" list; On December 8th, the annual cargo throughput of Qingdao Port in Shandong Province exceeded 700 million tons, 15 days ahead of 2024; On December 14th, Tianjin Port completed an annual container throughput of over 23.29 million TEUs, 17 days ahead of 2024... Data from the Ministry of Transport shows that in the first 11 months of 2025, China completed a port cargo throughput of 16.75 billion tons, a year-on-year increase of 4.4%, and a container throughput of 320 million TEUs, a year-on-year increase of 6.6%. Currently, the global trade environment is facing uncertainty, and the throughput of Chinese ports is increasing instead of decreasing, demonstrating the hardcore strength of China's port development. Infrastructure construction is constantly improving. Ningbo Zhoushan Port has built two major "ten million container level" container ports, Chuanshan and Meishan, providing solid physical space and capacity guarantee for the growth of container volume; Qingdao Port will start 15 major projects in 2025, with an additional terminal capacity of 16 million tons and a storage yard area of 1.46 million square meters. The smart logistics hub is accelerating its upgrade. Tianjin Port has launched an intelligent container terminal control system, which greatly improves operational efficiency with intelligent empowerment; Multiple fully automated unmanned guided vehicles shuttle through the port of Shanghai, accurately handling and sequentially returning containers. At present, China has formed world-class port clusters such as the Bohai Rim, Yangtze River Delta, and Guangdong Hong Kong Macao Greater Bay Area. The scale of port infrastructure has remained the world's largest for many years, and the number and technological level of automated terminals are among the top in the world. The modernization construction has brought about earth shaking changes in the status and role of ports, demonstrating the leapfrog high-quality development of China's economy and society. The busy operation of ports and frequent 'migration' of containers continue to demonstrate the resilience and vitality of China's foreign trade. ”Yuan Ziwen, Director of the Transportation Economics Department at the Water Transport Institute of the Ministry of Transport, said. As a key hub of international trade, multiple ports in China are accelerating the expansion of emerging market routes. Ningbo Zhoushan Port has opened its first Arctic shipping route, Jiaxing Port has added a direct route to Africa, Wenzhou Port and Beibu Gulf Port have opened international routes to the Middle East... More stable and high-quality goods are continuously transported to emerging markets such as Latin America, Africa, and the Middle East through the ports. Ports are key nodes connecting domestic and international markets. The overall acceleration of port throughput is closely related to the stable demand for high value-added goods and clean energy products. In the increasingly fierce competition between new energy photovoltaic enterprises and traditional solar photovoltaic panel industry, foreign trade enterprises actively research and develop energy storage cabinet projects, maintaining a high-speed incremental shipment momentum. ”Wang Comrades, Chairman of Ningbo Lianyang Shipping Co., Ltd., deeply felt this. With innovation leadership and green support, China's foreign trade competitiveness continues to strengthen. In the first 11 months, China exported mechanical and electrical products worth 14.89 trillion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 8.8%, accounting for 60.9% of China's total export value. With the continuous evolution of ports, port cluster collaboration has become a trend to replace single port "individual combat", and port functions have gradually extended to inland areas. The Yangtze River Delta port cluster is gradually forming a "one body, two wings" port cluster, with Shanghai Port and Ningbo Zhoushan Port as the main body, and Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Anhui and other coastal areas as the two wings. Anhui new energy vehicles and Jiangsu photovoltaic modules can directly reach the European and American markets; The 'Shanghai Chongqing Direct Express' has significantly shortened the travel time from Chongqing Guoyuan Port to Shanghai Port, promoting the Chengdu Chongqing region to leap from an' inland hinterland 'to an' open frontier '. It is both a "window" connecting the world in the external circulation and a "hub" connecting regions in the internal circulation. A set of data comparison is worth noting: the cargo throughput of inland ports increased by 5.7% year-on-year in the first 11 months, exceeding the growth rate of cargo throughput of coastal ports by 2 percentage points. The cargo throughput of Suzhou Port reached 560.88 million tons, and the container throughput reached 9.33 million TEUs, both ranking among the top ports in the country. Multiple inland ports such as Xuzhou Port, Hangzhou Port, and Wuhu Port have achieved double-digit growth in container throughput, with Wuxi Port's container throughput increasing by over three digits year-on-year, reaching 109.3%. On the one hand, the infrastructure construction of inland waterways and ports continues to improve, driving the continuous improvement of transportation efficiency in inland waterways; On the other hand, compared to highways and railways, inland transportation of medium and long-distance bulk materials and containers is cheaper and more environmentally friendly. Many freight companies choose inland shipping, which further drives the cargo throughput of inland ports. ”Yuan Ziwen said. The well connected inland transportation has played an important role in strengthening the domestic circulation and supporting the dual circulation of domestic and international markets. Chongqing proposed to improve the inland waterway transportation system and enhance the level of the upper reaches of the Yangtze River shipping center, Henan clarified to promote the connectivity of the inland waterway transportation system and build a 'two vertical, two horizontal, and four main' mainline waterway network, and Hubei proposed to build a new Three Gorges waterway channel and the Hubei section of the Han Xiang Gui inland waterway transportation corridor. Multiple provinces will strengthen the development of inland waterway transportation and include it in the "15th Five Year Plan" proposal. Multiple provinces have proposed to improve the development of inland waterway transportation, which is to implement the requirements of the Party Central Committee and the State Council on building a national high-level waterway layout of 'four verticals, four horizontals, and two networks' and 36 major inland ports. It is conducive to reducing logistics costs for the whole society, promoting transportation investment to stabilize the overall situation, and supporting the construction of a strong transportation country. ”Yuan Ziwen said that in response to the planning adjustments during the 15th Five Year Plan period, the development of port clusters may usher in new changes. Promote production in Hong Kong and develop cities through production. In the future, with the deepening of various reform measures and the continuous improvement of port functions, ports will play a greater role in promoting China's economic ship to sail steadily and achieve long-term success. (New Society)