The construction roadmap for the logistics network, one of the "six networks," has been officially unveiled. On August 28, the National Development and Reform Commission and the Ministry of Transport jointly published the Logistics Network Construction Implementation Plan (referred to as the Plan). Li Chao, spokesperson for the National Development and Reform Commission, stated at the press conference that the logistics network serves as a composite infrastructure system and comprehensive service network supporting the efficient circulation of goods and resources across society. The Plan drives the logistics infrastructure from a "node-placement and route-optimization" phase toward a "chain-formation and network-integration" transformation.
The logistics network comprises hub nodes, trunk corridors, equipment and carriers, regulatory standards, and information data. Through sustained efforts, China's logistics network construction has established a solid foundation. However, evolving consumer demands, accelerated industrial upgrades, and a complex external environment impose higher requirements on the network's efficiency, cost-effectiveness, and resilience. This year, the state proposed strengthening the planning and development of the "six networks," including water networks, new power grids, computing networks, next-generation communication networks, urban underground pipelines, and logistics networks. Liu Jingzhen, Chairman of China Logistics Group, noted that incorporating the logistics network into the national "six networks" framework marks its elevation from traditional supporting infrastructure to a core strategic foundation underpinning the national economic cycle.
The Plan outlines 17 key tasks across seven dimensions: advancing logistics hub construction and interconnectivity, enhancing logistics corridor capacity, addressing gaps in urban-rural logistics facilities, densifying international logistics networks, promoting digital and green development of logistics equipment, improving logistics information sharing, and strengthening policy support. The target is that by 2030, the logistics network will achieve significant progress, enabling effective hub-industry collaboration, domestic-international corridor-network connectivity, green and intelligent facilities and equipment, and fully integrated rules and information. This will drive down overall social logistics costs, aiming to reduce the ratio of total social logistics expenses to GDP to 13.1%, a 0.8 percentage point decrease from the end of the 14th Five-Year Plan period.
Li Chao explained that logistics network construction during the 15th Five-Year Plan period focuses on "three integrations": integrating "main arteries" and "microcirculations," integrating "hard construction" and "soft connectivity," and integrating "domestic circulation" and "international connectivity." The National Development and Reform Commission will dynamically adjust policies, guide regions in scientifically balancing project construction and operations, and mobilize broad participation to accelerate tangible progress. By the end of the 14th Five-Year Plan period, the national comprehensive three-dimensional transport network's main skeleton-comprising 6 axes, 7 corridors, and 8 channels-had a completion rate exceeding 90%, with 95% of natural villages (or groups) with larger populations connected by hardened roads, strongly supporting logistics cost reduction and efficiency gains. Nevertheless, some trunk corridors face saturation, hub coordination and radiation capacity remain insufficient, and bottlenecks persist at origin "first-mile" and terminal "last-mile" stages, necessitating whole-chain optimization to boost both efficiency and inclusiveness.
The Plan makes comprehensive arrangements for hubs, corridors, and urban-rural logistics facilities. To unblock "main arteries," it will implement a railway freight network project, accelerate construction of pending sections like the Yangtze River high-speed route, promote capacity expansion and smart upgrades of busy national highway sections, and support air cargo carriers in establishing bases at airport-based national logistics hubs, systematically expediting cross-regional cargo flow with reduced costs. To smooth "microcirculations," it will build new or repurpose existing facilities into public parcel lockers and improve the county-township-village three-tier logistics distribution system, making online shopping deliveries more convenient and fresh produce transport from villages to cities more efficient.
During the 15th Five-Year Plan period, approximately 1,000 major freight intermodal nodes are slated for upgrading, with the first batch of 300 already advancing. In the first seven months of this year, national railway container rail-water volume grew 9.2% year-on-year, while rail-road volume surged 80.9%, reflecting continued intermodal efficiency gains. However, challenges persist, including insufficient rail spur line access into ports and parks, inconsistent cross-modal rules and standards, and logistics "information silos," all constraining overall network efficiency. The Plan addresses these through systematic deployments in facility construction, equipment adaptation, rule unification, and information connectivity. For "hard construction," it will implement a national logistics hub intermodal project, building and upgrading transshipment, public warehousing, and distribution facilities, and accelerating construction of port-dedicated collection and distribution railways at coastal ports to support seamless cargo handling and efficient transfer. For "soft connectivity," it encourages upgrades to logistics public information platforms and enterprise logistics information systems, enabling cross-modal data standard alignment and interface interoperability, while deepening open-data pilot programs in intermodal logistics to fast-track integrated "one-bill" and "one-container" systems.
By the end of the 14th Five-Year Plan period, China led the world in port cargo throughput and container throughput, with air cargo carriers holding a 44% share of international freight, and China-Europe Railway Express trains surpassing 130,000 cumulative trips over a decade, reaching 236 cities across 26 European countries. This international logistics network robustly underpins the new development paradigm and the smooth functioning of domestic-international dual circulation. Yet, gaps remain in overseas service capabilities and a scarcity of internationally competitive logistics enterprises. The Plan addresses this through two fronts: domestic support and international service assurance. Measures include upgrading port clearance, international intermodal, and international cargo terminal facilities; fostering leading transport-logistics enterprises and integrated logistics integrators with global competitiveness; and optimizing insurance and financing services for overseas-operating logistics firms to enhance integrated domestic-international logistics capabilities.
Liu Jingzhen emphasized that smooth logistics enables smooth circulation, and strong logistics ensures stable development. Building the logistics network is not merely about creating a transportation grid; it represents a major nation's economic resilience and strategic depth. Its construction will persistently lower circulation costs, unclog economic flows, activate both domestic and international markets, and release multiple economic dividends.
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