The annual throughput of Yantai and Yingkou ports surpassed 100 million tons in 2007, bringing the number of such big harbors in China to 14, according to Communications Minister Li Shenglin.

The progress made China to become a country with the world's largest number of 100-million-ton ports, said Li at a national work conference on communications and transportation on the weekend.

The cargo throughput of Shanghai, China's largest harbor, reached 560 million tons in 2007, ranking first in the world for the third straight year. It now has 42 TEU piers and routes to more than 300 ports worldwide.

Currently, China has more than 1,400 ports with 35,000 berths, including 1,200 berths that accommodate 10,000-dwt ships.