SHANGHAI overtook Singapore to become the world's biggest container port in August on a strong recovery in exports, according to the local port authority.

"August is the prime season for exports, and the strong demand significantly pushed up the container throughput," said Wu Minghua, an independent market watcher. "Shanghai is bolstered by robust demand across the Pacific Ocean."

Shanghai's container turnover jumped 20.7 percent year on year to a record 2.64 million TEUs (20-foot equivalent units) last month. In the first eight months, 19.06 million TEUs were handled, according to Shanghai General Station of Exit and Entry Frontier Inspection.

Container volume in Singapore fell 4 percent to 2.43 million TEUs in August and stood at 19.01 million TEUs from January to August.

Local port authorities attributed the record throughput to China's rebounding exports. The country overtook Germany as the world's largest exporter in 2009. China's exports rose an annual 34.4 percent to US$139.3 billion in August.

Shanghai's trade expanded 39.3 percent on an annual basis to US$235.5 billion in the first eight months, with exports up 33.1 percent from a year earlier to US$115.5 billion.

The State Council, China's Cabinet, has drafted guidelines to build Shanghai into an internationalshipping hub by 2020. These measures include trial programs for business tax exemption for shipping companies, incentives for setting up a ship trading brokerage system and encouraging partnerships between insurance companies and shipping enterprises.

Waigaoqiao port remained the city's busiest with throughput up 14.1 percent to 1.33 million TEUs in August.

• frontier [´frʌntiə] n.国境；边疆；边界 (初中英语单词)
• volume [´vɔlju:m, ´vɑljəm] n.卷；书籍；体积；容量 (初中英语单词)
• annual [´ænjuəl] a.每年的 n.年刊 (初中英语单词)
• cabinet [´kæbinit] n.橱，柜；内阁 (初中英语单词)
• international [,intə´næʃənəl] a.国际的，世界的 (初中英语单词)
• shipping [´ʃipiŋ] n.船运业；船舶(总数) (初中英语单词)
• system [´sistəm] n.系统，体系，制度 (初中英语单词)
• recovery [ri´kʌvəri] n.重获；获得；恢复 (高中英语单词)
• pacific [pə´sifik] a.和平的；温和的 (高中英语单词)
• equivalent [i´kwivələnt] a.相等的 n.同等物 (高中英语单词)
• inspection [in´spekʃən] n.检查；视察；参观 (高中英语单词)
• billion [´biljən] num.万亿 (高中英语单词)
• overtook [,əuvə´tuk] overtake的过去式 (英语四级单词)
• container [kən´teinə] n.容器；箱，匣 (英语四级单词)
• setting [´setiŋ] n.安装；排字；布景 (英语四级单词)
• august [ɔ:´gʌst] a.尊严的；威严的 (英语六级单词)
• robust [rəu´bʌst] a.强建的；茁壮的 (英语六级单词)