China to Rev Up Development of Logistics Industry

With its imminent entry into the World Trade Organization (WTO), China is embracing a big opportunity to develop its logistics industry, officials and experts noted.

Zhang Zhigang, deputy director of the State Economic and Trade Commission (SETC), said that it is "urgent" that China reforms its old circulation system and speeds up the development of its logistics industry as China faces new challenges in the globalization process.

Over the past twenty years of opening up to the outside world, China has utilized 265.6 billion US dollars of foreign direct investment and introduced advanced equipment and technology from abroad to help lift its production and management up to a new level, he said.

But China still lags far behind Western countries in technology because of separation between production and sales. "To build itself into an industrial giant, China must give priority to solving this problem," Zhang said.

Actually, the government plans to give more support to the logistics sector by building infrastructure to facilitate the formation of a nationwide transportation and distribution network, he added.

Wu Qingyi, professor of the Beijing Science and Technology University and a logistics expert, said that China's logistics industry is still at a nascent stage, but the rapid popularization of e-commerce has brought huge opportunities.

Currently, a number of foreign logistics firms have established factories and subsidiaries in China, grabbing a significant slice of the pie, Wu noted.

"Domestic enterprises have begun to recognize the importance of the industry," said Song Minghua, a software expert and head of a Beijing-based logistic software provider.

He said that low costs and high efficiency are the major pursuits of enterprises, and a full-fledged logistics network will facilitate the accomplishment of the goals, he said.

Song's company has introduced new software called Lulusoft eFulfillment V2.0, which is expected to meet the sales and distribution demands of firms of various sizes.






People's Daily Online --- http://english.peopledaily.com.cn/