The growth rate of China’s freight volume is faster than last year’s annual level and container throughput is showing a rapid growth. In the first quarter, the economic operation of China’s transportation industry started steadily and achieved a good overall start, according to latest data from China’s Ministry of Transport.
According to data from the Ministry of Transport which covers the period 2025 first quarter, China’s commercial freight volume reached 13.06 billion tons in the first quarter, a year-on-year increase of 4.9%, and the growth rate accelerated by one percentage point compared to the whole year of last year.
In the first quarter, China’s port cargo throughput reached 4.22 billion tons, a year-on-year increase of 3.2%, with domestic and foreign trade increasing by 4.1% and 1.4% respectively.
The container throughput reached 83.03 million TEUs, a year-on-year increase of 8.2%.
China’s trade flows expanded steadily during the first quarter of 2025, signaling that rising US tariffs have not yet disrupted actual shipment volumes, even as economists warn of long-term risks to growth.
However, analysts warn that the US tariff war is likely to prompt China’s economy to speed up the adjustment of its export structure and gradually reduce dependence on the US market.
US President Donald Trump suggested in a recent interview that his administration is willing to soften the tariffs on imports from China. He said the tariffs with China can’t stay at their current rate forever.
“At some point, I’m going to lower them because otherwise, you could never do business with them. And they want to do business very much.”
The US President once again targeted China, saying that their economy is “collapsing.”
“Look, their economy is really doing badly. Their economy is collapsing,” Trump said on NBC’s “Meet the Press.” But Trump claimed he is currently not dropping the tariffs against China.
He further said that China wants to make a deal “very badly.”
“We’ll see how that all turns out, but it’s got to be a fair deal,” the president added.
China’s foreign ministry spokesperson Lin Jian responded to Trump’s claims on May 6 in a regular press briefing.
“The fact is, this tariff war is launched by the U.S. China’s position is consistent and clear: We will fight, if fight we must. Our doors are open, if the U.S. wants to talk. Recently the U.S. has repeatedly expressed the hope to engage in negotiation with China. There is no winner in a trade war or a tariff war. If a negotiated solution is truly what the U.S. wants, it should stop threatening and exerting pressure, and seek dialogue with China based on equality, respect and mutual benefit,” the spokesperson highlighted.
