China has built 60 automated container terminals, continuing to lead the world in smart port construction, according to a press conference on the upcoming 2025 North Bund Forum held on Friday.

In addition to the scaled development of automated container terminals, the construction of smart waterways is also accelerating. China’s national electronic waterway chart covers a total mileage of over 10,000 kilometres.

In the first eight months of 2025, China’s waterway freight volume reached 6.56 billion tonnes, a year-on-year increase of 3.8 per cent. Its port cargo throughput hit 12 billion tonnes in this period—up 4.4 per cent year on year, while container throughput totalled about 230 million twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs), a 6.3-per cent increase year on year, Gao Haiyun, an official from the water transport bureau under the Ministry of Transport, revealed during this press conference.

The 2025 North Bund Forum, the fifth edition of the event, to be co-hosted by the Ministry of Transport and the Shanghai Municipal People’s Government, will be held in east China’s Shanghai from October 19 to 21.

This year’s forum is expected to showcase the latest industry achievements—covering green shipping, shipping network layout, technical standards, service innovation and international cooperation.