Interview: China is driving force in global logistics innovation, says expert

This undated file photo shows Robert Schoenberger, the global industry lead at the international trade fair company Messe Muenchen GmbH. The Chinese logistics sector is highly innovative and tech-oriented, contributing significantly to global logistics innovation, said an industry expert in an exclusive interview with Xinhua this week. (Xinhua)

MUNICH, Germany, June 5 (Xinhua) -- The Chinese logistics sector is highly innovative and tech-oriented, contributing significantly to global logistics innovation, said an industry expert in an exclusive interview with Xinhua this week.

Dr. Robert Schoenberger, the global industry lead at the international trade fair company Messe Muenchen GmbH, said during the ongoing Transport Logistic 2025 exhibition in Munich that Chinese companies are quick to implement and transform technology, and many digital and automated logistics applications are developing rapidly in China.

"Even topics like smart logistics were invented in China. These ideas are where the future business will come from," he said.

Messe Muenchen GmbH is the organizer of the four-day international exhibition for logistics, mobility, IT and supply chain management, which kicked off Monday in the southern German city of Munich, with over 140 Chinese companies showcasing their latest products, services, and solutions.

"This year, we have more than double the number of Chinese exhibitors than in the last edition. It's a really huge increase," Schoenberger said. "One sector (for Chinese companies showcasing at this year's event) is the air cargo segment, which is a huge market. We also see more and more (Chinese firms) in the regular freight forwarding segment and the logistics services," Schoenberger said.

He noted that an increasing number of Chinese logistics companies are expanding into the European market, which reflects these companies' global strategic ambition and their growing competitiveness.

"This is of course a great development," he said, sharing with Xinhua his reflection on the development of the Transport Logistic China exhibition, which has taken place in Shanghai every two years since 2004.

Recalling his first visit to the Transport Logistic China exhibition in 2006, Schoenberger described it as a "market exploration" trip. "But over the years, it has truly developed into a domestic trade fair for China, serving the Chinese market. This kind of localization is extremely valuable. It reflects the rise of Chinese companies in the logistics sector," he said.

Asked how German companies feel about the competition from China, Schoenberger responded that the focus is not on rivalry but on shared progress.

"It doesn't help if you don't cooperate, if you don't talk to each other, if you don't work together. It's more about what we can all learn from each other; we all have our certain skills and things we can contribute," he said.

Cooperation is the keyword in the logistics industry, Schoenberger underlined. Whether in air cargo alliances or road transport networks, cooperation models are well-established, he said. "Something we will see in the future is that more and more companies work together to serve the whole world. And there again China will play a crucial role," he added.

Despite uncertainties in the global economy, Schoenberger remains optimistic about the logistics sector, saying that he believes the industry continues to show resilience and is full of emerging opportunities.

"The good thing about logistics is that it's a solution-providing industry. It's all about networks, and our industry always finds a way," he said. "We will see where the economies will go and where the production will be in the future, but for logistics, I'm very confident that there will always be a market." ■