New Ideas Guide a New Journey—The Extraordinary “14th Five-Year Plan”

Build a modern transportation and logistics system to support the construction of a new development paradigm.

According to a report by CCTV.com (Xinwen Lianbo): General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out that logistics is the “lifeline” of the real economy, connecting production and consumption as well as domestic and foreign trade. It is essential to effectively reduce overall social logistics costs, enhance the core competitiveness of industries, and improve the efficiency of economic operations. During the 14th Five-Year Plan period, China is accelerating the construction of a modern transportation and logistics system to support the development of a nationwide unified market. The logistics sector is steadily enhancing its ability to stabilize supply chains and ensure supply, providing strong support for building a new development pattern.

As the 14th Five-Year Plan draws to a close, China’s logistics sector continues to deliver impressive results. The number of China-Europe freight trains has surpassed 120,000, connecting 232 cities in 26 European countries. From January to October this year, China’s total social logistics volume reached 293.7 trillion yuan, representing a year-on-year increase of 5.1%. The market size is poised to remain the world’s largest for the 10th consecutive year. Each vivid piece of data reflects the resolute and steady march of China’s modern logistics industry—from “large” to “strong”—and underscores the vigorous vitality of China’s economic development.

Modern logistics connects production on one end and consumption on the other. Since the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, the Party Central Committee—with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core—has been promoting, with greater intensity, the construction and improvement of a high-quality, modern circulation system, making concerted efforts to unblock “major arteries” and ensure smooth “microcircuits.” From coastal ports to inland logistics parks, from China-Europe freight trains to the new Western Land-Sea Corridor, General Secretary Xi Jinping has repeatedly emphasized during his local inspections the need to foster the healthy development of the logistics industry. He has given important instructions on building regional logistics hubs and commercial centers, enhancing multimodal transport capabilities across rivers, railways, and seas, and raising the level of automation in the sector. Regarding the advancement of the construction of a nationwide unified market, the General Secretary has called for perfecting the circulation system, accelerating the development of the Internet of Things, establishing integrated and interconnected circulation rules and standards, and reducing overall social logistics costs.

During the 14th Five-Year Plan period, China’s total mileage of its integrated, multi-dimensional transportation network has exceeded 6 million kilometers. The scale of logistics has steadily expanded, and the quality of development has continuously improved, marking a new stage in systematically promoting high-quality development of modern logistics and establishing a modern logistics operational system characterized by “channels + hubs + networks.” In the first four years of the 14th Five-Year Plan, the ratio of China’s total social logistics costs to GDP declined by 0.6 percentage points, resulting in cumulative savings of nearly 900 billion yuan in overall social logistics costs. In the first three quarters of this year, the ratio of China’s total social logistics costs to GDP stood at 14.0%, dropping another 0.1 percentage point compared to the same period last year. The continued decline in logistics costs provides strong support for the efficient operation of the nation’s unified large market.

Further optimization of the transportation structure. Since the beginning of this year, the transportation sector has continued to promote the shift of bulk cargo transportation from road to rail and from road to water. From January to October, the national railway freight volume and waterway freight volume reached 4.37 billion tons and 8.29 billion tons, respectively, representing year-on-year increases of 2.6% and 3.5%.

Network connectivity has become smoother. The pilot program for the “single-document” and “single-container” approaches to multimodal transport—covering more than 12 routes—is now being rolled out nationwide. From January to October, China’s railways had cumulatively transported 14.258 million TEUs via intermodal rail-water container services, representing a year-on-year increase of 16.2%. The seamless integration of multimodal transport and the use of a single bill of lading covering the entire country have brought tangible benefits to freight companies.

Digital and intelligent technologies empower greater efficiency. The rapid rollout of electronic non-stop toll collection technology has led to the complete removal of 487 provincial border toll stations across the country, enabling fast, non-stop tolling. The average time required for passenger and freight vehicles to cross provincial borders has been reduced from 15 seconds and 29 seconds, respectively, to just 2 seconds and 3 seconds, effectively reducing congestion and emissions. Nationwide, the length of electronically mapped waterways has exceeded 24,000 kilometers, and the construction of smart waterways has initially achieved new breakthroughs, such as "one map connecting rivers and seas" and "one-click passage through locks."

The range of application scenarios is becoming increasingly diverse. Intelligent and green application scenarios in the logistics sector continue to expand. Currently, 20 cities across the country have launched pilot programs for “vehicle-road-cloud integration” applications involving intelligent connected vehicles, with a total of 35,000 kilometers of test roads now open for use. Self-driving vehicles and unmanned delivery vehicles are accelerating their deployment and gradually integrating into daily operations and people’s lives.

The “15th Five-Year Plan” proposals suggest “improving integrated and interconnected circulation rules and standards, upgrading market infrastructure to high standards, and reducing overall social logistics costs.” They lay out important measures for the development of transportation and logistics from multiple angles, including promoting high-quality and efficient development of the service sector, building a modern infrastructure system, and resolutely removing bottlenecks and obstacles that hinder the construction of a unified national market.

Source: CCTV News

 

Dalian Haien Gebhard Co., Ltd. (DHG) leverages technology to promote the development of shipping logistics.

In the process of accelerating the construction of China's modern transportation and logistics system, relevant enterprises have actively engaged in deep cultivation and specialization in niche segments, injecting fresh vitality into the industry's high-quality development. Dalian Haien Gebhard Electrical Apparatus Co., Ltd. focuses on marine electrical and automation equipment, providing critical support for shipbuilding, operations, and enhanced logistics efficiency. Its core contributions are as follows:

First, we ensure the safety of ship propulsion and control systems. The company provides core electrical and control equipment—including main switchboards, engine room monitoring and alarm systems, and bridge consoles—for a variety of vessel types, such as 190,000-ton dual-fuel bulk carriers, 9,000 m³ dual-fuel ethylene carriers, and harbor tugs. Relying on our reliable technology and products, we guarantee stable navigation and operations for these vessels, effectively reducing the risk of equipment failures during logistics transport and laying a solid safety foundation for the smooth operation of the entire logistics chain.

 

Second, we are helping to upgrade green ship logistics. In line with the global trend toward low-carbon shipping, our company has developed and is continuously refining dual-fuel vessel control systems that strictly meet IMO environmental regulations. Through technological innovation, we are promoting the widespread adoption of new-energy vessels, starting from the vessel propulsion control stage, thereby contributing to the reduction of carbon emissions across the entire logistics chain and aligning with China’s strategic direction for a green transformation of the logistics industry.

 

Third, we are enhancing the efficiency of port logistics operations. In response to the actual operational needs of ports, our company has custom-designed a comprehensive electric control solution for the newly built tugboats at Dalian Port. By optimizing equipment performance and operational stability, this solution significantly strengthens the port’s key operational capabilities—including towing, berthing, and unberthing—effectively ensuring efficient ship turnaround and indirectly boosting the port’s overall logistics throughput capacity. This provides robust technological support for the development of regional logistics hubs!