China's Ministry of Transport (MOT) said Thursday in a statement on its website that both passenger and cargo traffic experienced fast growth in the first quarter.
During the first three months of this year, passenger traffic on the country's roads increased 7.8 percent to 8.11 billion persons from a year earlier, while passengers transported by ships increased 9.8 percent to 51.91 million people.
The amount of cargo transported on roads climbed 14.5 percent to 6.2 billion tonnes, and that carried by ships increased 14.2 percent to 930 million tonnes.
Freight volume at China's ports also witnessed strong growth, the statement said.
"The ministry has made all-out efforts to ensure transportation during emergencies," according to the statement.
Weeks ago, the MOT set up a special leading group to coordinate efforts to evacuate Chinese nationals from Libya. The group deployed 14 ships and 91 chartered flights to evacuate tens of thousands of Chinese nationals.
Presently, the ministry is facing some new issues, including a lack of sufficient funding for infrastructure construction due to the country's monetary tightening policies, pressure from surging oil prices and rapid development of the express delivery industry.
The MOT said it would pay close attention to the developing situation and implement proper policies to address those issues, according to the statement.
