Digital News

　　According to data recently released by the China Federation of Logistics & Purchasing, despite adverse weather conditions in July, the logistics demand across the country continued to grow, fueled by strong internal momentum among enterprises, while supply and demand in the sector maintained balanced, coordinated growth.

　　Logistics serves as the vital bridge between production and consumption. Lowering logistics costs across society not only helps boost industrial competitiveness and improve operational efficiency but also promotes the smooth circulation of the national economy and reinforces the resilience of industrial and supply chains. In recent years, China’s overall logistics costs have steadily declined, driven by better transportation networks, stronger logistics hubs, an optimized economic structure, advances in logistics technology, and the creation of a unified national market. In the first half of this year, the ratio of total social logistics costs to GDP fell to 14%, down 0.1 percentage points from the first quarter and 0.2 percentage points from the same period last year, injecting strong momentum into the real economy and the circulation of the national economy. The recently issued Action Plan for Effectively Reducing Logistics Costs Across Society sets a target of bringing the ratio of overall logistics costs to GDP down to about 13.5% by 2027.

　　However, currently, China’s logistics costs across society are still about 8% higher than the average in developed countries and remain well short of the policy target, indicating significant potential for further reduction. Moving forward, beyond ongoing efforts to upgrade logistics infrastructure, streamline transportation structures, improve operating models, and cut institutional costs, it is also essential to leverage digital and intelligent technologies while actively embracing the trend toward green logistics development.

　　The coordinated digital, intelligent, and green transformation of the logistics sector presents new opportunities for reducing logistics costs across society. With the rapid advancement of mobile Internet, big data, cloud computing, 5G, blockchain, and artificial intelligence, smart logistics technologies and equipment are being adopted at an ever-accelerating pace. New models and business forms such as online freight platforms, unmanned delivery, and the low-altitude economy are continuously emerging. More and more logistics companies are utilizing automated warehousing equipment to boost delivery efficiency, deploying intelligent management systems to reduce empty runs, and using new-energy vehicles to cut overall energy consumption, thereby effectively lowering logistics costs while improving service quality and efficiency. Certainly, the digital, intelligent, and green transformation of the logistics sector faces a range of challenges, including high transformation costs, slow technological development, limited application scenarios, insufficient data openness and connectivity, an underdeveloped smart logistics ecosystem, and the need for stronger policy support. It is essential to systematically foster new quality productive forces in the logistics sector through technological, organizational, and policy initiatives, accelerate the digital, intelligent, and green transformation of traditional logistics, and promote the industry’s shift from labor-intensive to technology-intensive operations.

　　On one hand, support should be provided for the development and application of new technologies and equipment, leveraging industry–university–research collaboration to advance R&D and innovation in key logistics technologies, critical logistics equipment, and smart logistics systems, while promoting the extensive adoption of next-generation information technologies such as big data, 5G, and BeiDou navigation. Efforts should also prioritize the digital upgrading of logistics facilities and equipment, the use of policy measures to accelerate the development of new infrastructure such as smart ports, smart highways, smart logistics hubs, and smart logistics parks, and the deployment of technologies and equipment, including unmanned vehicles, unmanned warehouses, and automated loading and unloading systems.

　　On the other hand, efforts should be made to strengthen the openness and connectivity of logistics data, establish and improve dynamic interconnection mechanisms for logistics data across highways, railways, waterways, and aviation, as well as government departments such as customs. This will facilitate the sharing, development, and utilization of logistics data between the government and enterprises. Meanwhile, enterprises should establish robust mechanisms for collecting, extracting, applying, and protecting logistics data, promoting its market-oriented use. New business scenarios for smart logistics should be explored, with innovative approaches to allocating data elements across commercial, logistics, information, and financial flows. In addition, companies should be encouraged to develop new logistics models integrated with the platform economy, low-altitude economy, and autonomous driving, while strengthening the use of intelligent warehouse-distribution-transport integration technologies and digital twin solutions.

　　Furthermore, efforts should be made to advance the green transformation of the logistics sector. This involves accelerating the adoption of green, low-carbon, energy-efficient logistics technologies and facilities, supporting the green upgrading of distribution hubs, sorting centers, warehouses, and transport vehicles, expediting the development of charging and battery-swapping stations, as well as hydrogen refueling stations, and establishing demonstration routes for hydrogen fuel cell tractors and cargo trucks. Additional measures should focus on improving the standardization, sustainability, reduction, recyclability, and safety of logistics packaging, while promoting the widespread use and circulation of standardized carriers such as pallets and returnable containers.