How “Digital China” Is Driving the Transformation and Upgrading of the Logistics Industry

2 month 27 On [date], the CPC Central Committee and the State Council issued the “Overall Layout Plan for Building a Digital China,” by which time… 2025 In [year], a unified advancement framework that achieves horizontal integration, vertical connectivity, and robust coordination has basically taken shape, and significant progress has been made in building Digital China. By [date]… 2035 In recent years, China has risen to the forefront of global digital development, achieving significant milestones in building a Digital China. The state has accelerated the implementation of key initiatives for this endeavor, which will undoubtedly drive innovation and transformation across all sectors. Supported by favorable policies, digital technologies have become a powerful enabler of the logistics industry’s upgrading and transformation. The logistics sector is leveraging the Internet of Things, artificial intelligence, cloud computing, and process automation… RPA Driven by blockchain and other emerging technologies, digital transformation is advancing at a rapid pace.

Smart logistics parks drive industrial upgrading.

Localities have successively introduced a series of incentive measures to guide and support the digital transformation of the logistics sector. For instance, the Guangdong–Hong Kong–Macao Greater Bay Area, benefiting from its financial strengths, has seen governments encourage enterprises to develop compact, efficient, and intelligent logistics equipment, accelerating the digitalization of key logistics assets such as cargo, vehicles, and terminals, and driving the smart upgrading and transformation of logistics parks. Meanwhile, industrial clustering is fostering the emergence of smart logistics parks, further speeding up industrial upgrading.

In fact, the growth rate of logistics parks in China is gradually slowing down. Digital technologies are driving traditional logistics parks to upgrade and transform into smart logistics parks.

First, the digital applications of logistics parks are deployed across multiple use cases, encompassing park operations management, the logistics industry, and comprehensive services. By establishing a “smart brain” for the park—namely, an intelligent service management center—and leveraging a data mid-platform, these solutions harness cloud computing, GIS2 Video intelligence analysis, wireless communication, artificial intelligence, and other technologies enable the interconnection and interoperability of application subsystems. By deploying intelligent facilities and equipment—such as smart monitoring systems and integrated logistics solutions for intelligent sorting and material handling—business value is enhanced, ecosystem collaboration is fostered, and network effects are realized. Furthermore, by establishing a smart connectivity system, seamless interconnection among people, goods, vehicles, parks, and cities is achieved.

Second, as critical nodes in the broader logistics ecosystem, logistics parks are fully leveraging their role in enabling the “Internet of Everything.” Enterprises such as Qingdao Jiaozhou Bay International Logistics Park, Zhangjiagang Jiulong Steel Logistics Park, and Lin’an Logistics Park have already established well‑established frameworks for building smart parks. Among these, digitalizing operational models serves as the overarching strategy, integrating a wide array of digital technologies, streamlining park‑level processes, mobilizing resources from all stakeholders, and enhancing the coordinated utilization of key inputs—thereby fostering smart logistics industrial parks with distinct regional characteristics. Leading enterprises are paving the way, with top players in the logistics value chain spearheading the industry’s digital transformation.

Platform tools “addressing shortcomings,” including the digital business collaboration platform and the digital infrastructure service platform, provide indispensable solutions for resolving pain points in the logistics supply chain. These platforms leverage big data, the Internet of Things, and… AI Platform functionalities such as technology development not only help the logistics industry reduce costs, boost efficiency, and improve quality, but also empower the digital transformation of logistics and supply chains through data-driven decision-making and agile innovation. Moreover, collaborative digital infrastructure services can encompass smart‑device platforms, asset‑resource operation service platforms, and network freight‑transportation and capacity‑ecosystem solutions.

Digitalization drives the development of multimodal transport.

At present, in China’s end-to-end logistics chain, the sheer number of stakeholders, lengthy cycle times, and a lack of robust data support have created an impasse: without seamless information transparency across all three levels, each link in the logistics process continues to operate in isolation.

Data from road, rail, waterway, and shipping systems remain difficult to interconnect and share, hindering the development of public logistics information platforms. Although some intermodal transport enterprises in China have digitized their internal multimodal operations, uneven regional development, low levels of information sharing, rigid system architectures, and high information‑acquisition costs for participating stakeholders continue to constrain the planning and construction of logistics information platforms.

2019 In [year], the world’s top ten container shipping lines, with the exception of COSCO Shipping, jointly established… DCSA (The Digital Container Shipping Association) aims to standardize the digital transformation of the container shipping industry, paving the way for interoperability and standardization of information technologies, as well as the adoption of digital applications such as blockchain. However, some companies exhibit weak awareness of logistics information security and cybersecurity, and data security concerns continue to hinder the progress of logistics digitization.

Establish a unified data collection system and access standards, facilitate data integration across the system, and enable data storage, retrieval, and analytical capabilities for business and social‑service information. Promote the connectivity of logistics backbone networks and other supply‑and‑marketing infrastructure to the platform, achieving end-to-end information transparency and intelligent operational control. Build a comprehensive platform that integrates multiple functions, including information matching, logistics services, transaction facilitation, social marketing, brand promotion, and supply‑chain finance.

Accelerate the standardization of multimodal transport and achieve information interconnectivity and sharing: On the one hand, guided by the principles of government leadership, market‑driven operations, and multi‑stakeholder participation, establish a coordination mechanism among departments including road, air, rail, waterway, postal services, customs, public security, taxation, and market regulation; build a multimodal transport data platform to ensure seamless information exchange and sharing between various modes of transport and port‑side regulatory authorities. On the other hand, strengthen policy support at the national level by introducing subsidies and fee‑reduction measures for sea‑rail intermodal transport; provide one‑stop services—covering certification and accreditation, qualification requirements, customs clearance and inspection, and credit evaluation—for all participants in multimodal transport; encourage enterprises operating across different transport modes to share resources or restructure assets; and support market operators in forming enterprise alliances, using logistics chains and intermodal routes as connecting links. Through domestic circulation and… RCEP This will accelerate the implementation of digitalization standards and models in China’s shipping sector.

The Key to Breaking Through in Digital Freight Transport

“Internet” + The rapid rise of the digital economy has swept across the globe like a transformative hurricane, permeating every facet of economic activity and driving innovation and transformation across all industries.

From non‑vessel operating common carriers and online freight platforms to digital logistics, the evolution of digital freight—empowered by cutting‑edge technologies such as the Internet of Things, cloud computing, big data, and artificial intelligence—has fundamentally reshaped the trajectory of the logistics industry and the strategic direction of logistics enterprises.

Driven by the favorable policies supporting online freight, the threshold for obtaining a “ticket” to enter the online freight market is relatively low. However, operating such platforms demands robust, well-rounded capabilities from the companies involved. Those that were quick to secure their entry and join the competitive fray have gradually lost their first-mover advantage. According to Liu Jing, Vice President of Yiatong Logistics, the key lies in technological breakthroughs and a redefinition of value: whether it’s online freight or digital freight, at its core, these models leverage internet and digital technologies to deliver superior logistics services and foster a healthier logistics ecosystem for shippers and carriers, thereby reducing costs and boosting efficiency. Digital technology is both the linchpin and an indispensable prerequisite for developing and scaling digital freight platforms.

Ensuring that all information for every shipment is traceable and enabling the creation of tangible digital scenarios across diverse business lines is a fundamental measure of a platform’s digital‑technology capabilities.

As the head of Yunda Xing, Liu Jing stated that even before launching the Yunda Xing digital freight platform, he had already positioned digital technology as the core framework for its planning and development. “Digital technology is of paramount importance to the evolution of a digital freight platform, endowing it with exceptional convenience and seamless integration.”

Convenience is a key manifestation of the seamless integration between online and offline operations in digital freight logistics. Digital freight platforms help mitigate structural inefficiencies in information flow, particularly given the inherent complexity of each link in the supply chain. When unexpected disruptions occur, both shippers and carriers can provide immediate feedback and take timely action, significantly boosting operational efficiency and reducing logistics costs.

Integration refers to how digital technologies have turned digital freight‑transport platforms into conduits for seamless information connectivity. On the one hand, these platforms enable efficient, frictionless data exchange between logistics‑related business information and relevant government agencies, facilitating data collection and upload. On the other hand, they foster end-to-end information sharing across all links in the supply chain, enhancing the capacity of manufacturers, third‑party logistics providers, and end users to exchange and process data. This ultimately supports transparent, real‑time management of the entire freight‑transport process—commonly known as digitally empowering logistics enterprises to reduce costs and boost efficiency.

Accordingly, Liu Jing argues: “The level of development of digital technologies determines both the speed at which digital freight platforms process information and the breadth of their industry coverage. In today’s rapidly evolving digital economy, only by continuously advancing innovation in digital technologies can a platform maintain its core competitiveness; otherwise, its substitutability will be too high.”

Openness, collaboration, and sharing are core principles of digital freight platforms, while platform‑based operations underpin the diversity of their offerings. According to Liu Jing, “Only by deploying a comprehensive suite of digital freight ecosystem services can we better meet the needs of businesses and users, deliver end‑to‑end solutions, and fully leverage the scale advantages of the platform economy, thereby gaining a competitive edge in an increasingly fierce market.”

Regarding the redefinition of value in digital freight platforms, Liu Jing believes that the value of logistics big data deserves equal attention. “Beyond effectively addressing issues such as information asymmetry in freight transactions and helping the industry reduce costs while boosting efficiency, digital freight also holds significant commercial value in the form of logistics big data. This data can deliver optimized solutions, enable demand forecasting across all stages of the supply chain, and support intelligent logistics decision-making.”

Digital freight platforms have become a key opportunity for the digital transformation of logistics, a powerful driver of the shift toward digital supply chains, and a robust pillar for building a modern circulation system under the new development paradigm.                   

(Modern Logistics News, China Water Transport News, China News Net)