Investments in cold chain infrastructure, including cold storage facilities and refrigerated containers, are experiencing rapid growth in China, laying a strong foundation for the swift revival of cold chain logistics, industrial data showed.
The total investment and construction of China's cold chain logistics infrastructure in the first three months of this year surged 20 percent from the last year, according to China Federation of Logistics and Purchasing on Sunday.
Among these infrastructure, intelligent temperature control facilities and equipment have been adopted by logistics companies across the country to reduce loss of packaged agricultural products and food and ensure the safety of these products in transportation.
A train loaded with 230 tons of frozen chicken bound for Moscow, Russia, on Tuesday embarked on its maiden trip from the China-Europe Freight Train (Shenyang) Assembly Center in northeast China's Liaoning Province. To ensure the smooth transportation of the frozen meat to its destination, the assembly center applied plug-in refrigerated containers that support manual temperature control throughout the entire journey.
"Since this year, we have continued to increase investment in related equipment and facilities based on market developments and customers' transportation needs. We have also continued to launch new products for China-Europe freight train services," said Li Haiping, deputy director of operations department at the assembly center.
Meanwhile, the country has seen a significant surge in investment in cold storage warehousing. In the first quarter, the investment in national cold chain warehousing projects amounted to approximately 14.7 billion yuan (around 2.07 billion U.S. dollars), up 22.5 percent year on year. During the same period, the demand for rental cold chain warehouses in China exceeded 510,000 square meters, with a year-on-year increase of around 10 percent.
"Currently, investment is now mainly in cold storage facilities construction. Generally speaking, there is a periodic surplus, but some structural demands are still insufficient. Therefore, some of our current investments primarily focus on rectifying these structural shortcomings and enhancing the overall completeness of our cold chain infrastructure," explained Cui Zhongfu, deputy chief, China Federation of Logistics and Purchasing.
China increases investment in cold chain logistics infrastructure
The Chinese and Mongolian troops on Sunday held opening ceremony for a joint army training in Mongolia's Dornogovi Province, during which the two sides will have close coordination and in-depth exchanges while carrying out exercises to combat illegal armed groups.
At the opening ceremony of China-Mongolia "Steppe Partner-2024" joint army training, the two sides held a flag-raising ceremony, and their commanders delivered speeches before announcing the official start of the drill.
After that, the Chinese and Mongolian soldiers planted trees, symbolizing the two countries' friendship and joint efforts to combat desertification and sandstorms and to accomplish the environmental and ecological improvement goals.
"This joint training provides a practical platform for the two armies to explore joint combat against illegal armed groups and exchange experience in operational and training methods. It plays a significant role in promoting practical cooperation between the two sides in military training. We will spare no effort in fulfilling our mission. We will complete this joint training mission in accordance with high standards, exhibiting Chinese military's ability on the international stage," said Ju Qiqi, commander of the participating Chinese troops.
This year marks the 75th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Mongolia, and also the 10th anniversary of the establishment of a comprehensive strategic partnership between the two countries. In this context, the first-ever battalion-sized joint training aims to further deepen the strategic mutual trust and pragmatic cooperation between the two militaries and inject positive energy into regional peace and stability.
It is understood that the Chinese participating troops are chosen mainly from the armored forces of a brigade under the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) 79th Group Army, encompassing fire assault, operational support, logistic support and various other specialized forces.
The exercise is set to be completed in three stages, namely force deployment and assembly, joint training, and troops withdrawal, with the focus on training the command, coordination and support capabilities of the two armies in jointly combating illegal armed groups.
The Chinese and Mongolian troops will set up a command center to carry out joint planning, tactics research and targeted training on actual military operations.
The joint army training will last until late May.
Opening ceremony held for China-Mongolia "Steppe Partner-2024" joint army training
