BEIJING - China's overall freight transport saw steady growth in the first quarter, official data showed.

Freight volume grew 6.1 percent year-on-year to 10.85 billion tonnes in the first three months, the Ministry of Transport (MOT) said in a statement.

Road freight increased 5.9 percent and that of waterways registered a 9.1-percent growth year-on-year in the period, according to the ministry.

Total passenger volume edged down 2.1 percent year-on-year to 4.44 billion in the first three months, with highway passenger traffic down 5 percent and waterway down 1.8 percent.

Meanwhile, China's cargo throughput at ports grew by 4.3 percent to 3.15 billion tonnes during the period, according to the MOT statement.

Foreign trade cargo throughput saw an increase of 5 percent, while domestic trade posted a growth of 3.1 percent.

Container throughput at ports rose 6.1 percent from the same period last year to 60.33 million 20-foot equivalent units (TEU), the statement said.

The data, added to a series of indicators, show resilience in the economy.