Maersk Group Partner and CEO Anshu Jain stated at the 2013 China Development Forum Annual Conference today that logistics costs account for approximately 18% of China's GDP (9% in the U.S. and Japan), therefore, there is still much work to be done in China to reduce the share of logistics costs in GDP. "If this issue is not addressed, it will have a negative impact on economic development."
Anshun Yearn noted that in terms of enhancing the environmental sustainability of the transportation sector and providing a reference for China, the country is currently in a paradoxical situation. While China has a high export efficiency for many goods, with two-thirds of products being smoothly exported, the logistics of importing, especially into China's inland areas, are extremely inefficient.
Anshiyuan introduced that according to some official statistics, approximately 30% to 50% of fresh food in China cannot be used due to imperfect logistics or cold chain systems. Anshiyuan believes that in the less developed areas of western China, without solving the logistics bottleneck, it is impossible to develop business well in these regions. He suggested that to change some existing logistics methods in China, such as increasing investment in ports and transportation in air, land, and water; and also establishing a multimodal transportation hub, "such hubs can help reduce the efficiency losses and energy consumption in the transportation department."
"Additionally, we can shift the transportation from road-based to rail and air, which can boost the efficiency of the transportation sector by approximately 30% to 40%," says An Shiniang. Hong Kong estimates that around 37% of the particulate matter in the air is caused by shipping departments. Therefore, if you have cleaner fuel, you can significantly enhance environmental cleanliness.
