Container handling at ports in China 2008-2021

In 2021, the container throughput at China's seaports and inland ports amounted to approximately 249 million and 33 million TEUs, respectively.
TEU (twenty foot equivalent unit) and is an international standard unit for counting containers of various sizes and ISO for the description of the loading capacity of container ships and handling of container terminals.

China’s container seaports

As of 2021, China had seven of the world’s ten busiest container ports, namely the ports of Shanghai, Ningbo-Zhoushan, Shenzhen, Guangzhou, Qingdao, Tianjin, and Hong Kong. Shanghai Port is the largest container port in China and in the world, handling 47 million TEU of containers in 2021. It generated revenues of 5.2 billion U.S. dollars in that year, an increase of around 41 percent compared with the previous year.

China (Export) Container Freight Index (CCFI)

In 2021, the total value of the China (Export) Container Freight Index (CCFI) reached about 2,616 points. In its 12 trade lanes, the CCFI with Europe for the year averaged 4,287 points. CCFI reflects the change in freight rates, using a baseline of 1,000 points as of January 1, 1998. It was first published by the Shanghai Shipping Exchange on April 13, 1998.