A staff member distributes parcels at the workshop of a logistics company in Lanshan County of Yongzhou City, central China's Hunan Province, Nov 10, 2022. Photo:Xinhua

An official from China's Ministry of Transport (MOT) vowed on Thursday to further upgrade logistics channels connected to neighboring countries and cross-continent air freight networks, in order to secure the transport of crucial commodities and boost international cooperation. 

Zhang Dawei, the MOT official, made the statement during a press conference held by China's National Development and Reform Commission, the top economic planner, on Thursday, focusing on plans for China's modern logistics sector during the 14th Five-Year Plan period (2021-25).

The infrastructure of major transport channels in China will be enhanced to link with the cargo transport systems in neighboring countries and regions, which will further strengthen the regional influence of the China-proposed Belt and Road Initiative, Zhang said. 

In 2022, special financial support was granted to the first batch of 15 cities, including Southwest China's Chongqing, Chengdu in Southwest China's Sichuan, Guangzhou in South China's Guangdong and Zhengzhou in Central China's Henan, to establish freight transport hubs. More cities are to be included in 2023. 

In order to boost international transportation, China will improve the efficiency of China-South Korea and China-Europe land-sea transport links, and expand air transport networks in Europe, North America and Oceania. Logistics enterprises with international competitiveness will be developed to secure the supply chain for key commodities, including energy, grain and minerals. 

Responsible authorities will participate in the global rule-making process in the logistics sector, while enhancing bilateral and multilateral transport cooperation with neighboring countries. 

China's international logistics sector has developed rapidly in recent years. At present, the China-Europe Freight Train network has been expanded to 196 cities in 24 European countries, Zhang noted.

As of the end of October, China-Europe freight train routes have handled 62,000 freight train trips, transporting 5.76 million 20-foot equivalent units of goods, according to Xinhua. 

So far, 19 countries have agreed on road transport cooperation with China. Maritime transportation routes have reached over 100 countries and regions, and China's air freight network covers more than 60 countries and regions.

Global Times