DHL Express to lift investment in services

German logistics giant DHL Express announced on Friday that it will increase its investment in China, including expanding service facilities in Hong Kong and Guangzhou, capital of Guangdong province, and increasing freight flight services from South China to Germany.

DHL Express opened its Zhuhai, Guangdong gateway on Friday to enhance its international logistics express delivery efficiency west of the Pearl River, as enabled by the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge, which opened to the public late last month.

Wu Dongming, CEO of DHL Express China and Global Management Board Member, said the company will fully leverage the 55-kilometer-long bridge to shorten express transportation from the west of the Pearl River to Hong Kong from four hours to 45 minutes.

The company said this will balance economic development on both sides of the Pearl River, supporting accelerated integration and economic development in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area.

Wu said that China is on course to optimize its industrial structure and offer more favorable policies to global companies. Against this backdrop, DHL Express, supported by 7,300 employees in China, will further expand its Guangzhou gateway, Wu said.

DHL Express plans to raise the service frequency of its new air cargo service route between Shenzhen, Guangdong to Leipzig, Germany from twice a week to six times a week in the first half of 2019. The first flight on the new route took off Friday morning.

"These measures can better serve Chinese manufacturers' growing demand for delivery services in Zhuhai, Zhongshan, Jiangmen and Foshan in Guangdong province. We will further increase investments in infrastructure development," Wu said.

The company's announcement came after a meeting of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, the Party's core leadership, on Wednesday. The top leadership said China will continue to proactively attract foreign investment and safeguard the legitimate interests of foreign-invested businesses in order to shore up the economy.

The country will unwaveringly promote high-quality development and ensure effective implementation of a proactive fiscal policy and prudent monetary policy, according to the statement released after the meeting.

Feng Hao, a researcher at the Institute of Comprehensive Transportation at the National Development and Reform Commission, said China has brought in more measures to stimulate global trade activities, such as the upcoming inaugural China International Import Expo.

This has encouraged international players' optimism that the international express industry will see broader growth opportunities, with the deepening of global trade integration, the rising of cross-border e-commerce and the steady development of the Chinese economy, Feng said.