JD.com, Xiamen join hands in logistics development

Construction of the JD logistics park began on Dec 24 in the Tong'an district of Xiamen, Fujian province.

Covering an area of 272,000 square meters, the park is to be the largest logistics park in the province for China's second largest online retailer - JD.com.

Cutting-edge technologies, such as AS/RS, internet of things, cloud computing and big data, are expected to be applied in the park, and will make it one of the largest e-commerce operation centers with the highest automation level in Asia.

According to Wang Zhijun, vice president of JD.com, the park's construction is an important manifestation of the strategic partnership between Xiamen and JD.com.

In 2016, the Xiamen municipal government reached a strategic agreement with the e-commerce giant and the two have been strengthening their bilateral relationship ever since.

The logistics park is just one of the multiple cooperation projects between the two parties.

In October, JD set up a branch office in the Tong'an district, making it a settlement center for its logistics business in the region.

JD's choice of Tong'an is largely owing to its geographical and policy advantages, Wang said.

Situated at the junction of the three cities of Xiamen, Zhangzhou and Quanzhou, Tong'an has in recent years seen rapid development in the logistics industry by giving full play to its advantages as a regional transportation hub.

It now has grown to be an important distribution center for goods such as household products, medicine, construction materials, fruits and vegetables in the southern part of Fujian.

With annual sales estimated at 15 billion yuan ($2.3 billion), the JD logistics park is expected to inject further vitality to the region's development assuming it is completed in March, 2019 as scheduled.

An artistic impression of the JD logistic park in the Tong'an district of Xiamen, Fujian province