China's Transport Minister Liu Wei stated in Beijing on the 22nd that the nation has focused on building a more cost-efficient transport network to lower overall logistics expenses across society, achieving a reduction of approximately 200 billion yuan in transport and logistics costs during 2025.

His remarks were made at the opening of the Global Sustainable Transport Forum (2026) in Beijing, where he highlighted that roughly 180 million people currently cross regional borders daily. Within cities, about 100 million passengers rely on rail transit for efficient commutes each day, another 100 million use buses to navigate urban streets, and an additional 100 million utilize taxis and ride-hailing services for door-to-door travel.

Minister Liu emphasized efforts to build more convenient transportation, accelerating the development of rail-connected urban clusters to achieve two-hour travel between major cities. Intermodal passenger transport has been actively promoted, with rail connections at hub airports now exceeding 85 percent. Customized bus and passenger routes have surpassed 11,000 and 9,700 respectively.

He noted that the national comprehensive three-dimensional transport network's main framework is now over 90 percent complete. Port container rail-water intermodal transport volumes have grown by an average of 15 percent annually, and online freight platform orders exceeded 180 million last year, demonstrating significant progress in reducing costs and enhancing efficiency across the logistics sector.

On green transportation, Liu pointed to the rapid adoption of new-energy vehicles, with the penetration rate for new-energy heavy trucks approaching 50 percent in August. New-energy vehicles now account for over 87 percent of urban buses and 93 percent of ride-hailing services, while charging infrastructure covers 99.8 percent of highway service areas.

Addressing transportation resilience, Minister Liu explained that despite disruptions to key maritime shipping routes, China-Europe freight train services grew by 20 percent, international road freight volumes rose 40 percent, and international air cargo transport increased 15 percent in the first half of the year, effectively safeguarding the stability and smooth operation of international logistics supply chains.