That month, a high-speed train linking Beijing and Chengde city in Hebei went into operation.

About 950 million tons of annual medium- and long-term contracts were signed with coal suppliers and demanders, according to the report.

The Erenhot Port is the largest land port on the border between China and Mongolia.

The port on the coast of the Bohai Sea is a pivotal shipping outlet for the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region.

At present, Korean shipping companies have accepted nearly half of the world's container ship orders

Chinese exporters suffer from extreme shortage and rising costs of shipping containers, which strand in America and Europe due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

"[Rail operator] Transnet Freight Rail (TFR) is cancelling many trains," said one supplier.

China's transport ministry is expecting a big fall in travel during the lunar new year period.