China's logistics chain resumes normal operations

China's logistics industry has resumed gradually as the country tackles shipping bottlenecks amid the latest COVID-19 outbreak, the Ministry of Transport said on Thursday.

The ministry has addressed problems such as closed tolls and service areas on freeways and blocked roads hindering supply transport to rural areas, Li Huaqiang, deputy director of the ministry's transport department, said at an online news conference on Thursday.

Compared with April 18, the traffic of trucks on freeways at present has risen about 10.9 percent. The freight volume on railways and roads increased by 9.2 percent and 12.6 percent, respectively, and both have resumed to about 90 percent of normal levels.

In the last week, China's postal and parcel delivery sector handled as much business as it handled during the same period last year.

China's major logistics and transport hubs have also gradually resumed operation. The daily throughput of containers at the Shanghai Port has returned to more than 95 percent of normal level.

In the last week, daily cargo traffic handled by Shanghai Pudong International Airport recovered to about 80 percent of volume before the outbreak.

Daily cargo throughput in Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport has returned to normal level.

Since late March, Shanghai, the international financial and logistics hub, has been hit hard due to a COVID-19 outbreak. Stringent measures to contain the virus initially clogged up truck routes. Strict COVID-19 curbs have also prompted road closures and hurt trucking services in many regions across the country.

The State Council established a leading office to ensure unimpeded logistics last month to solve transport clogging problems.

A hotline has been established to answer truckers' questions and receive comments.

Li noted more than 1,900 problems related to truck transportation were addressed via the hotline over the month.