Chongqing — After more than a decade of building freight routes linking western China with Europe, Chongqing is shifting its focus from expanding transport infrastructure to making international logistics networks work more efficiently, under China's latest national transport plan.
The shift is reflected in the country's 15th Five-Year Plan (2026-2030) for integrated transport hub development, recently issued by several central government departments. The plan outlines three initiatives involving Chongqing, with an emphasis on strengthening connections between existing logistics facilities rather than building new routes.
This photo taken on Dec. 3, 2024 shows the 100,000th China-Europe freight train at Duisburg Intermodal Terminal (DIT) in Duisburg, Germany. (Photo/Xinhua)
The first aims to improve coordination between Chongqing and Duisburg, Germany, a major European logistics hub, covering two-way China-Europe and China-Asia freight train services, return cargo, freight consolidation, distribution and multimodal transport.
The second calls for regular shipping services linking Chongqing with Luzhou and Yibin in neighboring Sichuan province, supporting the development of an upper Yangtze River shipping hub.
The third focuses on expanding overseas warehouses and distribution centers for an international postal and express delivery network connecting Chongqing, Chengdu and Xi'an.
Together, the initiatives mark another step in Chongqing's evolution from a transport gateway into a logistics coordination center connecting China with overseas markets.
For instance, the proposed Chongqing-Duisburg partnership illustrates why the coordination matters. Duisburg, home to Europe's largest inland port, has extensive rail and waterway connections serving industrial and consumer markets across the continent.
Although China-Europe freight services have expanded over the past decade, operating a successful outbound service does not necessarily guarantee an equally efficient return journey. Trains carrying goods from China to Europe may struggle to secure sufficient cargo for the trip back, making it harder to maintain balanced freight flows in both directions.
Another challenge arises after shipments reach Europe. Goods arriving by rail may still need to pass through several local logistics providers before reaching their final destinations. Each additional stage of handling, transfer or distribution can increase costs and complicate delivery arrangements.
Under the new plan, closer coordination between Chongqing and Duisburg is intended to connect their cargo collection and distribution networks. On the European side, Duisburg's established rail and waterway connections could help organize onward distribution of goods arriving from China while providing a stronger network for collecting Europe-origin cargo bound for China.
For Chongqing, this would mean extending its logistics coordination capabilities beyond the Chinese end of the railway, rather than relying solely on the movement of trains between the two cities.
Such a role builds on more than a decade of experience in China-Europe rail services, the New International Land-Sea Trade Corridor and multimodal transport. These networks provide a foundation for Chongqing to coordinate freight flows and work more closely with overseas markets.
For international businesses, stronger coordination could mean more reliable deliveries and lower logistics costs. The challenge now is to turn existing transport connections into practical benefits by securing cargo in both directions, streamlining distribution and improving cross-border logistics operations.