How can we foster and develop the logistics economy? These three factors are crucial.

The report to the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China called for strengthening the resilience and security of industrial and supply chains. It also emphasized the need to build an efficient and smooth circulation system, reduce logistics costs, and ensure the unimpeded flow of factors between urban and rural areas. This represents a new set of requirements for China’s modern logistics sector, following the 19th National Congress’s explicit designation of logistics infrastructure as a major type of infrastructure. In response, the state has timely issued the first five-year plan for the logistics sector— “ 14th Five-Year Plan ” The “Modern Logistics Development Plan” (hereinafter referred to as the “Plan”) marks the entry of China’s logistics industry into a phase characterized by… “ Pioneering, foundational, strategic ” A new stage marked by key characteristics. Transportation is a vital link and prerequisite for the development of logistics. In the current complex domestic and international environment, it is imperative to grasp the new trends of the new era, proactively address the opportunities and risks of the post‑pandemic period, accelerate the building of a transportation powerhouse, establish an integrated transport system, and promote the high‑quality development of modern logistics.

01 Key points: extend the industrial chain and enhance the value chain.

The supporting role of integrated transportation in modern logistics continues to grow in prominence.

2022 year 1 month 18 Day, “ 14th Five-Year Plan ” The “Development Plan for a Modern Integrated Transport System” has been released. It explicitly states: by… 2025 By [year], integrated and coordinated development of the comprehensive transportation system will be largely achieved, with substantial breakthroughs in intelligence and green practices. Comprehensive capabilities, service quality, operational efficiency, and overall benefits will see marked improvements, propelling transportation development toward world-class standards. Intermodal transfer and transshipment efficiency at major transportation hubs will be further enhanced. Integrated transportation networks for key urban agglomerations and metropolitan areas… 1 The network of intra‑hour commutes is accelerating its development, and the national highways along the border have been largely completed. Looking ahead… 2035 By [year], a modern, high-quality, national, integrated, and three-dimensional transportation network—convenient and smooth, economically efficient, safe and reliable, green and intensive, and smart and advanced—will be basically completed, and a framework will be essentially in place. “ National 123 Travel and Transportation Circle ” (urban area 1 Hourly commutes, urban agglomerations 2 Within hours, access to major cities nationwide. 3 hourly coverage) and “ Global 123 Express Logistics Network ” (Fast delivery within China 1 Next-day delivery, neighboring countries 2 Next-day delivery, major cities worldwide 3 (Next-day delivery), and basically achieve the goal of becoming a transportation powerhouse.

A comprehensive, three-dimensional transportation network is a crucial foundation for modern logistics infrastructure. 14 The operation of a massive market with hundreds of millions of consumers and the world’s largest industrial system generates substantial flows of raw materials and finished goods. China’s comprehensive transportation network has now surpassed a total mileage of… 600 Ten thousand kilometers, with approximately… kilometers of operational railway lines. 14.6 Ten thousand kilometers, with approximately… kilometers of paved roads. 519.8 Ten thousand kilometers, including expressway mileage. 16.1 Ten thousand kilometers, with inland waterway mileage of approximately 12.8 Ten thousand kilometers, port‑operational wharf berths 2.2 Tens of thousands. A transportation network that covers the entire country, extends deep into rural areas, and connects to the world has been essentially established, with all eligible villages and towns now accessible by roads, vehicles, and postal services. Logistics corridors are strategically positioned along the integrated transport network, while freight hubs serve as key nodes for the consolidation and distribution of goods. In short, the comprehensive, three-dimensional transport network constitutes the foundation of logistics infrastructure. “ Skeleton ” and “ Subject ”。

Integrated transportation is a critical link in harnessing the functions of modern logistics. Modern logistics is highly integrated, combining transportation, warehousing, sorting, last‑mile delivery, and information services, and serves as a critical enabler for extending industrial chains, enhancing value chains, and building robust supply chains. Economic activity comprises key stages—production, circulation, distribution, and consumption—and the efficiency of logistics operations is a hallmark of economic prosperity. As the vanguard of economic and social development and a pioneer of modernization, transportation itself is an integral component of modern logistics; its safety and smooth flow determine whether the logistics sector can operate stably and efficiently. Moreover, functions such as warehousing, sorting, and delivery all rely on transport‑related infrastructure and equipment. Optimizing the transport mix and promoting multimodal transport are among the most effective strategies for advancing the green and low‑carbon development of the logistics industry.

Bottlenecks in the integrated transport system represent a key area for enhancing the quality and efficiency of modern logistics. In recent years, the logistics sector has played an increasingly prominent role in pandemic response and supply assurance, ensuring smooth transportation and resuming work and production. Nevertheless, it continues to face challenges such as high costs and low efficiency, structural imbalances in infrastructure and service systems, and significant shortcomings in certain areas. Many of these issues are particularly acute in the broader transport domain: for instance, the multimodal transport system remains underdeveloped, with low efficiency in intermodal connections and transfers; the freight transport structure still requires optimization, with road transport accounting for a disproportionately large share of medium- and long-distance bulk cargo shipments; the backbone network of transport‑logistics infrastructure is incomplete; and the economic benefits of corridor‑based and hub‑based development remain muted. As a result, integrated transport has emerged as a key area for enhancing the quality and efficiency of modern logistics.

02 Key point: Industrial integration    The development of modern logistics is facing new circumstances and new requirements.

“ 14th Five-Year Plan ” During this period, the situation facing China’s integrated transport sector has grown increasingly complex and volatile. Internationally, the world is undergoing a transformation of a magnitude unseen in a century, with a new round of scientific and technological revolution and industrial restructuring advancing in depth. The COVID‑19 pandemic has disrupted global industrial and supply chains as well as international logistics systems, while economic globalization is encountering headwinds. Domestically, China has embarked on a new journey toward fully building a modern socialist country. Regional economic patterns, land‑use and development‑protection frameworks, demographic structures, consumer demand characteristics, and factor‑supply dynamics are all undergoing profound changes, placing new demands on the development of an integrated transport system. As a result, the transport sector has entered a critical phase: one of refining infrastructure networks and precisely addressing existing shortcomings; a window of opportunity for promoting seamless integration and enhancing service quality and efficiency; and a challenging stage of deepening reform and innovation and transforming the mode of development. Against this backdrop, China’s modern logistics sector is confronted with a new landscape and new requirements.

Its strategic position continues to strengthen. The CPC Central Committee and the State Council attach great importance to the development of the logistics industry. The 19th National Congress of the CPC explicitly placed logistics infrastructure on an equal footing with major infrastructure such as railways, highways, waterways, aviation, and power grids. As a pillar of the economy… “ Meridian ” The logistics industry serves as a vital pillar for ensuring the resilience and security of industrial and supply chains, playing a pioneering, foundational, and strategic role in building a modernized economic system. To maintain smooth and unimpeded transportation and logistics flows, it is essential to better connect domestic and international markets, make more effective use of both domestic and global markets and resources, and achieve stronger, more sustainable development.

Industrial integration continues to deepen. Over the past four decades of reform and opening-up, China has sustained a robust economic growth rate, emerging as the world’s second-largest economy and its largest exporter, and establishing itself as a global manufacturing hub. The logistics sector has played a pivotal role in supporting the development of the real economy. As the market economy continues to evolve, smooth circulation becomes increasingly essential for stabilizing investment, boosting consumption, and safeguarding foreign trade. Looking ahead, the logistics industry will deepen its integration with the primary and secondary sectors, becoming embedded within industrial and supply chains, thereby helping the real economy reduce costs and enhance efficiency, and advancing the upgrading of industrial foundations and the modernization of industrial chains.

People’s livelihoods continue to be strengthened. Guided by a series of policies aimed at expanding domestic demand, China’s consumer market is poised to experience sustained, stable growth while accelerating its transformation and upgrading. Consequently, demands for the timeliness, safety, and delivery methods of logistics and distribution are steadily rising, calling for a logistics system that is more capable, higher‑quality, and more flexible. The logistics sector is gradually shifting from a production‑centric model to one centered on consumers and the market. Take the pandemic period as an example: a reliable and efficient logistics network not only ensured the timely delivery of emergency supplies such as epidemic‑prevention medicines and medical devices, but also provided urban and rural residents with essential daily necessities—including vegetables, meat, eggs, dairy products, and grain—supporting both their livelihoods and daily life.

2022 In [year], China’s total import and export value surpassed [figure] for the first time. 40 Trillion yuan Pass, at 2021 Building on a high base, it continued to maintain steady growth, with its scale reaching yet another record high, and for the consecutive… 6 It has maintained its position as the world’s largest goods trading nation for years.

Looking at the four quarters, the total value of imports and exports in the first and second quarters each exceeded 9 Trillion yuan and 10 Trillion yuan , the total value of imports and exports in the third quarter increased to 11.3 Trillion yuan , which marks a new quarterly record, with the total value of imports and exports in the fourth quarter continuing to remain 11 Trillion yuan The level.

From the perspective of trading partners, 2022 This year, China’s imports and exports to ASEAN, the European Union, and the United States were as follows: 6.52 Trillions, 5.65 Trillions and 5.05 Trillion yuan , increasing by respectively 15%、 5.6% and 3.7% . During the same period, China’s exports to “ Belt and Road Initiative ” Growth in imports and exports among countries along the route 19.4% , accounting for of China’s total foreign trade value 32.9% , enhance 3.2 percentage points ; to RCEP Growth in imports and exports of other member countries 7.5% 。

03 Key point: Foster and develop the logistics economy.

2023 Annual transportation and logistics development is worth looking forward to.

2023 The year marks the inaugural year for fully implementing the spirit of the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China and for carrying out… “ 14th Five-Year Plan ” This year is a pivotal one for planning, serving as a bridge between the past and the future. While the economy faces numerous difficulties and challenges, the optimization and adjustment of pandemic‑related policies are helping China’s economy gradually return to normalcy, and logistics demand is expected to continue recovering. We must uphold a systems‑based approach, stay true to fundamentals while fostering innovation, and work to build a modern logistics system that enhances quality, boosts efficiency, and reduces costs—thereby providing robust support for developing a modern industrial system, cultivating a strong domestic market, and advancing high‑level opening-up.

First, it places greater emphasis on its supporting role. 2023 The Central Economic Work Conference emphasized the need to continue implementing an active fiscal policy and a prudent monetary policy, strengthen macroeconomic policy adjustments, and proactively address the challenges of expanding domestic demand and building a modern industrial system. Against this backdrop, the logistics sector will further assume its pioneering, foundational, and strategic roles, helping to establish a modern circulation system, underpinning stable growth, employment, and prices, and fostering a robust domestic market while supporting high-quality development and the construction of a modernized economic system.

Second, greater emphasis is placed on cost reduction and efficiency enhancement. 2021 In [year], China’s total social logistics volume exceeded 330 Trillions of yuan, with the logistics industry’s total revenue approaching… 12 Trillions of yuan, making it the world’s largest logistics market. In terms of infrastructure, as efforts to build a transportation powerhouse and advance an integrated, multi-dimensional transport network continue to gain momentum, logistics will increasingly benefit from economies of scale, network effects, organized operations, and intensive resource utilization, further reducing total social logistics costs and paving the way for the establishment of… “ Global 123 Express Logistics Network ” Lay the groundwork. In the transportation sector, as COVID-19 control policies have been optimized and relaxed, logistics… “ Mid-urethral obstruction ” It will further break down barriers, with continuous breakthroughs in overcoming bottlenecks across modes of transport and operational processes.

Third, greater emphasis is placed on integrated development. With the guidance of macro policies and amid efforts to support the development of the real economy, the logistics sector will further integrate with manufacturing, fostering collaborative growth between logistics and manufacturing enterprises, promoting coordinated development of production and distribution infrastructure, and supporting the creation of integrated industrial and supply chains. Moreover, logistics models at different scales and across various links in the value chain will strengthen their interconnections, particularly with regard to the existing logistics infrastructure network. “ East strong, west weak ”“ Urban areas are strong, rural areas are weak. ”“ Strong internally, weak externally ” The challenge lies in establishing international and domestic logistics corridors, inter‑regional logistics networks, and urban–rural logistics channels, thereby fostering integrated development.

Fourth, we will place greater emphasis on our leading role. For a long time, the logistics industry has been positioned primarily in terms of facilitating the smooth circulation of the national economy, supporting the real economy, and meeting the everyday needs of the people, yet it has not placed sufficient emphasis on its own market potential and value‑creation capabilities. Under the overarching economic development principle of seeking progress while maintaining stability, “ Fostering and developing the logistics economy ” will be 2023 One of the key priorities for industry development this year is, in the realm of hub‑based economies, leveraging major logistics infrastructure such as national logistics hubs and national backbone cold‑chain logistics bases to concentrate logistics resources, foster the aggregation and integration of related industrial inputs, and cultivate industrial clusters with regional agglomeration and spillover effects, thereby strengthening and expanding the logistics hub economy. In terms of corridor‑based economies, efforts will be made to enhance… “ Four horizontal and five vertical axes, along two coasts and ten corridors ” Strengthen the logistics infrastructure and service capabilities along major transport corridors, optimize the industrial layout and division-of-labor cooperation system along these corridors, and gradually establish economic and industrial corridors anchored by these logistics networks, thereby fostering and developing a corridor‑based logistics economy.

Fifth, we will place greater emphasis on innovation-driven development. Digitalization and smart technologies are both the prevailing trends in the logistics sector and key enablers for enhancing quality and efficiency. To keep pace with these developments, the intelligent upgrading of traditional logistics parks, warehousing and distribution centers, and other infrastructure is accelerating, while unmanned technologies, digital terminals, and automated sorting systems are becoming increasingly widespread. In sectors such as road freight and instant delivery, the level of information sharing and IT‑driven supply‑demand matching will continue to rise. Moreover, addressing bottlenecks in bulk commodity logistics, rural logistics, cold-chain logistics, emergency logistics, and air logistics will remain focal points for breakthroughs and untapped growth opportunities in the next phase of the industry’s development.

Sixth, greater emphasis is placed on ensuring stability and providing a safety net. Against the backdrop of emphasizing the resilience and security of industrial and supply chains, the safety and stability of logistics systems in the post‑pandemic era have become a central focus. On the one hand, it is essential to ensure the transportation of key materials by strengthening the emergency logistics system, bolstering emergency transport capacity and material reserves, and encouraging the establishment of regular, standardized green‑channel mechanisms for such goods, thereby safeguarding the smooth and secure circulation of the national economy and ensuring that goods can both leave and enter the country. On the other hand, we must support the global industrial chain layout by fostering and expanding internationally competitive transport and logistics enterprises, actively integrating with global distribution networks, and building a modern international logistics supply chain system. Moreover, in the context of coordinated urban–rural development and rural revitalization, particular attention should be paid to establishing convenient and efficient… “ Industrial products to the countryside ” and “ Agricultural products entering the city ” A two-way logistics network has been established, creating an efficient, stable, and cost-effective last-mile delivery system. Efforts are being actively made to extend express delivery services to rural areas, ensuring comprehensive logistics support for all residents.