Chongqing- The National Development and Reform Commission recently announced its list of national hard-core cold chain logistics bases for 2022, and the Shapingba National Hard-core Cold Chain Logistics Base, located in Chongqing, Southwest China municipality, was selected.

The national bases play an essential role in improving the cold chain logistics network system, regionalizing the supply of daily necessities, and promoting the coordinated development of cold chain logistics and related industries. The involvement of the list means to further boost Chongqing's logistics industry, especially cold chain logistics, and facilitate the construction of an inland international logistics hub and port highland.

Industries are inseparable from the cold chain logistics

"New markets like fresh produce e-commerce and biological vaccines are growing fast, and these industries are inseparable from the cold chain logistics," said Professor Chen Jiumei, vice dean of the School of Management Science Engineering of Chongqing Technology and Business University and director of the China Society of Logistics. "It is opportune for Chongqing to be selected in the national hard-core cold chain logistics base."

Chongqing has a good logistics foundation as the only city national logistics hub combined port, land port, and airport.

Being able to connect with East Asia, Southeast Asia, and South Asia, Chongqing serves as the operation center of the New International Land-Sea Trade Corridor (ILSTC). The selection into the national hard-core cold chain logistics base is conducive to ensuring the cold chain logistics service and living materials demand of the Chengdu-Chongqing economic circle and even southwest China.

Through the Yangtze River Golden Waterway, the China Railway Express (Chengdu-Chongqing), and the ILSTC, bilateral trade between central and western regions and the EU and ASEAN will expand, including the import of cold chain products such as wine, fruit, medicine, and meat, and the export of cold chain agricultural products in Chongqing. Provinces and cities along the ILSTC will gain profit through characteristic agricultural exports.

Key cold chain logistics projects will be put into service

In recent years, Chongqing has accelerated the construction of cold chain logistics infrastructure. The city's cold storage capacity reaches 5.26 million cubic meters. The Shapingba Hard-core Cold Chain Logistics Base covers 4,253 mu (about 283.5 hectares).

During the 14th Five-Year Plan (2021-25) period, 135,600 cubic meters of frozen storage will be built, driving the total storage capacity to 594,800 cubic meters.

Last year, the Guotong Smart Cold Chain Industrial Park, with a total investment of one billion yuan (about 140 million US dollars), started building in Chongqing International Logistics Hub Park. Many key cold chain logistics projects will soon be serviced, consolidating the foundation of Chongqing's cold chain logistics.

Four hundred cold chain logistics market players above the designated size indicate the rapid development of the cold chain logistics industry. They are represented by leading enterprises like Chongqing Mingpinfu Group Co., Ltd and Chongqing Pharmaceutical (Group) Co., Ltd.

National brands such as SF Cold Chain, Hema Fresh, and JD Logistics and local supermarkets like Yonghui Superstores are constantly improving Chongqing's cold chain distribution system.

Professor Chen believes that the national hard-core cold chain logistics base is a development engine with solid initiative, which can produce an agglomeration effect.

Chongqing can make good use of its advantages and enrich the broad application of big data, the Internet of things, 5G, blockchain, artificial intelligence, and other technologies in cold chain logistics to enhance whole-chain monitoring and traceability.