China's inland waterway freight volume exceeded two billion tons in the first five months this year, a year-on-year increase of around four percent, data from the Ministry of Transport shows.
As inland water transport serves as a vital corridor connecting different parts of China, China has been accelerating the construction of inland waterway routes since the beginning of this year.
At the Jingjiang section of the mainstream of the Yangtze River, the longest waterway in China, underwater operations are underway as part of a channel improvement project. The Jingjiang section accounts for only one-eighth of the Yangtze River mainstream's navigable length, but its sharp bends and shallow waters often lead to congestion and limit shipping capacity.
"When the project is completed, the navigable water depth during the dry season in the Jingjiang section will increase from the current 3.5 to 3.8 meters to 4.5 meters. Vessel tonnage will also increase from 3,000 to 5,000 tonnes, greatly unleashing the waterway's potential and reducing the logistics costs of Yangtze River shipping," said Liu Xiaoying, an official from Yangtze Yichang Waterway Engineering Bureau.
For every 0.1-meter increase in this navigable depth, a 5,000-tonne cargo vessel is expected to carry about an additional 150 tons of goods, which will boost profit margins by around 12 percent.
China will increase the mileage of newly upgraded waterways by 900 kilometers by the end of this year, as key projects on the Yangtze River, Xijiang River, and the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal are accelerating their progress.
China's inland waterway freight volume hits over 2 bln tons in first 5 months of 2025
At least eight civilians were killed and 95 others wounded in U.S. and Israeli attacks on a bridge in Iran's northern Alborz province on Thursday, the official news agency IRNA reported.
According to the report, the B1 bridge, located in the provincial capital Karaj, is one of the highest bridges in the Middle East and among the most complicated projects in Iran. It was targeted twice with missiles on Thursday.
IRNA cited Qodratollah Seif, the province's deputy governor for political, security and social affairs, as saying that among those killed and injured were inhabitants of Bileqan village, passengers and the families who had gathered in the nearby areas for the Nature Day, a traditional Iranian holiday marking the end of the Nowruz holidays.
He added that there were no military activities in the areas surrounding the bridge, stressing that the structure was under construction and scheduled to be inaugurated in the coming days.
Seif said those injured in the strikes were immediately transferred to nearby medical centers, and some of them were hospitalized.
U.S. President Donald Trump posted a video on the social media Truth Social, showing smoke rising from the B1 bridge in Karaj, hours after threatening to bomb the country "back to the Stone Ages," warning of further destruction unless Iran comes to the table to end the five-week war.
Trump delivered a speech earlier on Wednesday in which he argued that the war launched by the United States and Israel was almost over -- even as he threatened to bomb Iran "extremely hard" if it did not bow to his demands.
Condemning the attacks in a post on X, Iran's Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi said, "Striking civilian structures, including unfinished bridges, will not compel Iranians to surrender."
He added, "It only conveys the defeat and moral collapse of an enemy in disarray. Every bridge and building will be built back stronger. What will never recover: damage to America's standing."
On Feb 28, Israel and the United States launched joint attacks on Tehran and several other Iranian cities, killing Iran's then Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, along with senior military commanders and civilians. Iran responded with waves of missile and drone strikes targeting Israel and U.S. assets in the Middle East.
8 killed, 95 wounded in US-Israeli attacks on Iran bridge
