Containers are unloaded at a wharf in Lianyungang port, Jiangsu province, Oct 8, 2014. [Photo provided to China Daily]

BEIJING - Throughput at China's ports remained at a low level from January to October, data released by the Ministry of Transport (MOT) showed.

Freight handled at the country's major ports grew 4.6 percent year on year in the first ten months to nearly 9.3 billion tons, compared with a 9.9 percent increase in the same period last year.

Port throughput is an important indicator of a country's foreign trade. China's foreign trade volume slowed to a 2.5 percent growth from January to October from a 7.6 percent rise in the same period in 2013.

Official data indicated that the country's foreign trade is recovering following a hard time in the beginning of 2014.

MOT spokesman Xu Chengguang predicted that port throughput will be expanding on a year-on-year basis for the whole 2014, albeit at a slower pace.