GUANGZHOU, Dec. 26 (Xinhua) -- The foreign trade container throughput in Guangzhou Port, south China's Guangdong Province increased by 10.77 percent year on year in the first 11 months of 2019, according to the port authority.

File photo: VCG

The port handled about 21.18 million TEU (twenty-foot equivalent unit), up 5.83 percent year on year, which included 7.98 million TEU for foreign trade, between January and November.

This year's total container throughput is expected to exceed 23 million TEU, according to the Guangzhou Port Authority.

The port now opens 217 routes, including 92 routes to the countries and regions participating in the Belt and Road Initiative. It is also an important hub linking the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area with Africa, the Mediterranean and other regions in Asia.

The Greater Bay Area consists of Hong Kong, Macao and nine cities in Guangdong -- Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Zhuhai, Foshan, Huizhou, Dongguan, Zhongshan, Jiangmen and Zhaoqing.