China has established the country's first river shipping exchange in the western city of Chongqing, which will boost the inland city's role as a major transport hub along the Yangtze River, the Ministry of Transport said.

Over the next three years, the Chongqing shipping exchange aimed to service half of all cargo shipments and more than 80 per cent of all container shipping in the upper reaches of the Yangtze River, reported the South China Morning Post.