China's logistics industry sees strong growth, driven by tech innovation: report

China's logistics industry has seen strong growth amid rapid tech innovation, with automation and digitalization levels improving steadily over the past year, according to the 2024 China Digital Logistics Development Report released Thursday.

The report, which was unveiled at the 2025 Logistics Technology Conference in east China's Huzhou City, reveals that China's logistics industry has experienced robust growth in recent years, generating significant opportunities for logistics technology and equipment. Key trends include the integration of low-altitude economies with logistics technology, as well as the application of generative AI and large models, it said.

China's total social logistics value surged from 213.5 trillion yuan (about 29.3 trillion U.S. dollars) in 2014 to 360 trillion yuan (about 49.4 trillion U.S. dollars) in 2024, maintaining its position as the world's largest logistics market for years. The innovation and development of logistics technology and equipment have played a crucial role in this growth, the report said.

The report also revealed that in recent years, China's logistics technology has seen continuous innovation, with automated guided vehicles, robots, and automated warehousing becoming increasingly widespread. Unmanned warehouses, drones, autonomous vehicles, and intelligent management systems have now become essential in the industry.

The gradual maturation of autonomous driving technology has brought revolutionary changes to logistics and transportation. The autonomous driving market is experiencing rapid growth, with vast potential not only in China but also globally. This year is expected to mark a significant opportunity for the large-scale industrialization of autonomous vehicles worldwide, according to the report.

"In recent years, the automation and digitalization levels of China's logistics industry have significantly improved. In line with the central government's call to accelerate the fostering of new quality productive forces, the logistics industry must not only deeply integrate technologies such as smart warehousing, unmanned delivery, low-altitude logistics, and digital twins with logistics scenarios, but also focus on the development and application of artificial intelligence large models in the entire supply chain process and the broader industrial chain, so as to enhance efficiency and reduce costs through technology," said Ma Zengrong, vice president and Secretary-General of the China Federation of Logistics and Purchasing.

The report also highlights key logistics technologies of the year, including low-altitude economy and logistics technology, generative artificial intelligence (AI) and large model technology, 5G technology, and BeiDou system technology.

Among them, low-altitude economy and logistics technology have made logistics more efficient, faster, and diverse. Moreover, generative AI and large model technologies provide intelligent support for logistics decision-making, making logistics smarter and more precise.

China's logistics industry sees strong growth, driven by tech innovation: report

Shanghai welcomed two more cruise ships on Sunday, lifting the total at Wusongkou International Cruise Terminal to three, as inbound tourism booms under China's new visa-free and travel facilitation measures.

The newly arrived ships, MSC Magnifica and Adora Magic City, joined Mein Schiff 6, which had docked a day earlier at the Shanghai Wusongkou International Cruise Terminal.

During the weekend, cruise ports in Shanghai handled over 20,000 inbound and outbound passengers, with foreign nationals accounting for more than half of the total.

"Immigration service, very good, very fast. Everything very quick," said a Russian tourist.

"We going to Disneyland, it's a cool trip," said another Russian tourist.

China’s expanded visa-free entry is reshaping inbound travel. Since February, ordinary passport holders from Canada and the UK have been exempted, and arrivals from both countries have climbed sharply.

"Very good, excellent policy and anything that reduces the amount of time. We had ten days in China already," said a Canadian tourist.

Shanghai’s ports have already processed more than 10 million passenger trips this year, up 2.9 percent from 2025, underscoring sustained growth in cross-border movement. China now offers unilateral visa exemption to 50 countries, mutual visa-free access with 29, and 240-hour transit privileges to travelers from 55 nations, a policy framework that is reshaping inbound tourism at scale.

Shanghai sees surge in cruise tourism as visa policies boost inbound travel