China's commercial freight volume rises 2.3% in first three quarters

What happened: China's Ministry of Transport reported that commercial freight volume reached 43.04 billion metric tons in the first three quarters of 2026, up 2.3% year on year. Key numbers: Freight volume rose 2.3% year on year, with September up 1.3%. Road freight was 32.7 billion tons, up 2.5%; waterway freight 6.39 billion tons, up 2.2%. Port cargo was 13.64 billion tons, up 0.7%; container throughput 280 million TEUs, up 4.5%. Why it matters: The data shows freight and port activity expanding, with foreign trade cargo throughput up 2.9% while domestic cargo throughput fell 0.2%.

China's Ministry of Transport reported that commercial freight volume reached 43.04 billion metric tons in the first three quarters of 2026, up 2.3% year on year.

The data shows freight and port activity expanding, with foreign trade cargo throughput up 2.9% while domestic cargo throughput fell 0.2%.