(Yicai Global) July 11 -- Driven by port integration reforms, the total business volume of the seven main Chinese container rail-water transport ports jumped 35 percent annually in the first half.

From January through June, the total volume of containers processed through the ports of Dalian, Yingkou, Tianjin, Qingdao, Lianyungang, Ningbo and Shenzhen rose 35 percent to 1.4 million 20-foot equivalent units (TEU), said Yi Jiyong, deputy director of the Ministry of Transport Water Transport Bureau at a press briefing yesterday.

The high growth mainly results from port integration reforms, Yi explained. "The Ministry has been actively pushing forward regional port integration pilot reforms to facilitate well-coordinated port development, and these efforts have proven effective in enhancing operating efficiency and resource utilization, and preventing disorderly regional port development and 'homogeneous competition.'" Also, shipping volumes have remained at a high level because of structural adjustments to transport capacity.

Water transport infrastructure construction accelerated throughout China in this year's first half. Transport authorities expended great effort to hasten construction of high-grade waterways and coastal water transport infrastructure facilities and improve the standards of waterway-related public services by steadily re-engineering the Yangtze River main channel system, and by expediting construction of high-grade waterway networks at main tributaries of the Yangtze River and its mouth. Also, water transport infrastructure has continued to improve overall, thanks to accelerating construction of large multi-purpose ports in coastal areas, specialized terminals, the Tianjin-Hebei port infrastructure, Yangshan Port (4th phase) at the Shanghai International Shipping Center and the coal and bulk cargo terminal at Tangshan Port.