BEIJING, Sept. 8 (Xinhua) -- China's container transport for export purposes gained momentum in August, according to data from the Shanghai Shipping Exchange.

The average China Export Containerized Freight Index stood at 830.22 points in August, up 1.2 percent from a month earlier, as the market was in a "traditional peak season," the exchange said in a statement.

Since the beginning of this year, the index averaged 803.45, lower than an average of 820.47 last year.

In August, the sub-indices for the United States, Australia and New Zealand, Europe, and Japan all rose to different extents, the data showed.

The China Export Containerized Freight Index was first released by the exchange in April 1998 as a barometer of the export shipping market.

China's export rose 7.9 percent year on year in August, higher than 6 percent in July. Total export in the first eight months rose 5.4 percent, customs data showed Saturday.