BEIJING - Cargo throughput at ports in China rose steadily during the first four months of 2025, signaling continued resilience in the world's second-largest economy despite external uncertainties.

The country's cargo throughput at ports totaled 5.75 billion tonnes during the January-April period, up 3.7 percent year-on-year, data from the Ministry of Transport showed.

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Container throughput, a leading gauge of trade health, increased 7.9 percent year-on-year during this period to reach 110 million twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs), according to the ministry.

In April alone, the country's cargo throughput at ports climbed 4.8 percent from a year earlier to 1.53 billion tonnes -- with the pace of growth slightly down from an increase of 4.9 percent registered in March.

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Separate data from the National Bureau of Statistics on Saturday revealed that China's purchasing managers' index (PMI) for the manufacturing sector had edged up to 49.5 in May from 49 in April, with the sub-index for new orders rising to 49.8 from 49.2 -- as production accelerated and market expectations strengthened.