A Survey of China’s Logistics Industry and the Impacts of Transport Delays on Importers and Exporters

Abstract

In the last decades, China’s booming economy has greatly benefited from globalization and trade liberalization. China has found a niche as the world’s manufacturing centre and it is playing a crucial role in a growing number of global supply chains. This research focuses on the performance of international and domestic transport and logistics systems as perceived by Chinese importers and exporters. A broad literature review of Chinese meteoric logistics industry development is provided. Results and analysis of in‐depth interviews with Chinese importers and exporters are presented. These interviews provide significant information regarding international freight transport chains, the impact of delays on supply chain operations and the subsequent costs, companies’ delay and disruption planning, and managers’ perspectives on future transport and logistics developments.

Acknowledgements

The authors would like to acknowledge Andrew Collins and John Rose at the Institute for Transport and Logistics, University of Sydney, for their assistance in the development of the CAPI software. However, any responsibility for errors or omissions in the final version of this paper rests entirely with the authors.