BEIJING - China's Ministry of Transport said Thursday in a statement on its website that both passenger and cargo traffic saw fast growth in the first quarter.

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During the first three months, 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.

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.