Refrigerated delivery and storage in China maintained steady expansion in the first half of the year, reporting moderate rebounding demand in cold chain consumption and accelerating green and low-carbon transformation.
In the first six months, cold-chain logistics demand related to food reached 200 million tons, up 4.7 percent year on year, according to data released by the China Federation of Logistics and Purchasing (CFLP) on Sunday.
According to an official from the federation, technological upgrades are helping the sector keep up the market and expand services in smaller urban areas.
"The cold-chain logistics sector showed steady growth in the first half of the year, with continued structural optimization, industrial transformation and upgrading. Driven by consumption upgrading and sustained policy support, demand for cold-chain logistics continued to be released, with the market expanding into third- and fourth-tier cities. Meanwhile, new business models such as instant retail and central kitchens have also spurred the sector's rapid development," said Qin Yuming, secretary general of the CFLP's cold-chain logistics professional committee.
During that period, sales of new energy refrigerated vehicles continued to grow rapidly, reaching 20,285 units, up 92.3 percent year on year.
Cold storage infrastructure also maintained steady growth. Investment in cold storage projects surpassed 24 billion yuan (about 3.5 million U.S. dollars), up 8.4 percent year on year, while newly added cold storage capacity totaled over 4.9 million cubic meters in the first half.
By the end of June, total cold storage capacity had reached 270 million cubic meters, up 4.6 percent year on year, with overall supply and demand remaining balanced.
China's cold-chain logistics growing in H1 with rebounding demand, faster green transformation
The average daily raw coal production by large-scale industrial firms in China during the first half of 2026 hit the second-highest historical level for the period, the China National Coal Association reported, underscoring coal's continued status as the mainstay of China's energy security.
Enterprises with annual main business revenue of 20 million yuan or more produced 13.07 million tonnes during the first six months, the association revealed.
As the backbone of China's energy system, coal output has maintained steady operation in 2026, delivering solid support for national energy security amid high seasonal demand.
China has now entered the peak summer energy consumption season, with temperatures in most parts of the country above the perennial average and some regions struck by periodic heatwaves.
To cope with extreme weather and shore up coal supply for the summer peak, the coal sector has tapped into the strengths of large-scale modern and intelligent coal mines, keeping national coal production and distribution stable and orderly.
"Across major coal-consuming industries, coal-fired power generation grew roughly 3 percent year on year in the first six months, serving as a vital bottom-line guarantee for peak summer power supply. Coal consumption for chemical production rose 7.3 percent from a year earlier, driving steady growth in overall coal demand," said Zhang Hong, vice president of the China National Coal Association.
Looking ahead to the second half of 2026, experts said they expect China's macro-economy to sustain steady and relatively fast expansion. With wider application of "AI plus" scenarios and surging energy demand from big data and computing power, overall energy consumption will continue climbing. In this context, coal will remain the mainstay of China's safe and stable energy supply and a key force providing fundamental backup.
China's coal output remains sufficient in H1, bolstering summer power supply
