International shipping lines have boosted cargo capacity on routes from China

Despite disruptions caused by the recent spread of the novel coronavirus, which has been fueled by emerging variants, China has managed to secure smooth global supply chains and safe transportation of key antivirus products, including COVID-19 vaccines, officials said on Wednesday.

Li Huaqiang, deputy director of the Ministry of Transport's transportation department, said that in the first half of this year, all major international shipping lines had boosted their cargo capacity on routes from the Chinese mainland.

"Transport capacity for the route to North America increased by 55 percent year-on-year and that for the route to Europe by 35 percent," he said during a news briefing. "Major channels for international logistics have been functioning smoothly overall."

In order to ensure safe and timely transport of vaccines, which often requires specific temperatures and time limits, the ministry has stepped up communication with public security, health and other authorities to optimize the allocation and distribution of freight vehicles and personnel.

"Vehicles delivering vaccines are and will continue to be exempt from toll fees and have access to a faster track," he said, adding that the ministry has facilitated the shipping of more than 20,000 batches of vaccine goods, involving 5 million packages.

China had administered more than 1.7 billion COVID-19 vaccine doses by Tuesday, according to the National Health Commission.

Recent clusters of domestic infections, linked to imported cases at airports, ports and hospitals, have affected 17 provincial-level regions and resulted in 144 areas in China raising their virus risk status to high or medium by Wednesday morning, Mi Feng, a spokesman for the commission, said on Wednesday.

As sporadic domestic outbreaks continue to emerge, Li said the ministry has guided local governments to ensure steady transportation of emergency materials, as well as daily necessities and production materials.

The spread of the highly transmissible delta variant has also prompted the country's immigration authority to maintain tight restrictions on cross-border movement.

Liu Haitao, head of the National Immigration Administration's department of frontier inspection and management, said the administration will not issue passports and other entry-exit documents for nonemergency or nonessential reasons.

But he said that for those with practical needs to travel abroad, such as studying overseas, working or engaging in business, the administration will handle and verify their circumstances in a timely manner.

"For Chinese citizens planning to go abroad with the aim of aiding the global fight against the epidemic or facilitating resumption of production at enterprises, we will process their applications and even provide expedited services promptly," Liu said.