At zero o'clock on January 1, the first China Europe train from Xi'an in 2025 officially started. The train was loaded with 50 containers, including white goods, textiles and chemicals. It left the country from Khorgos Port, passed through Kazakhstan and headed to Tashkent, Uzbekistan, with a total distance of more than 4600 kilometers. The reporter learned from China Railway Group that the China Europe freight train will operate 19000 trains and send 2.07 million TEUs throughout 2024, an increase of 10% and 9% respectively year-on-year; The Central Asia freight train will operate 12000 trains and send 880000 TEUs throughout 2024, with year-on-year growth of 10% and 12% respectively; The Western Land Sea New Channel trains will send 960000 TEUs in 2024, a year-on-year increase of 11%. The logistics industry is an important link in promoting the smooth circulation of the national economy, connecting production on one end and consumption on the other. Recently, the China Federation of Logistics and Purchasing released the China Logistics Industry Prosperity Index for December 2024, which was 53.1%, an increase of 0.3 percentage points compared to the previous month; The China Warehousing Index was 50.6%, a decrease of 1.8 percentage points compared to the previous period. The data shows that among the main indicators, the business volume index, new order index, inventory turnover index, capital turnover index, equipment utilization index, fixed assets investment completion index, employee index, and business activity expectation index are in the expansion range, and will be successfully closed in 2024. The logistics prosperity index in December 2024 reached a new high for the year 2024, indicating that China's logistics activity continues to increase He Hui, vice president of China Federation of Logistics and Purchasing, said that the total business index, inventory turnover index, capital turnover index, equipment utilization index, fixed assets investment completion index and employee index were in the expansion range. From the perspective of expectations, the business activity expectation index has fallen slightly but remained above 55%, reflecting a stable and positive market expectation under the influence of seasonal factors. Hu Han, Director of the Logistics Statistics Department of China Logistics Information Center, stated that from the perspective of the whole year of 2024, the prosperity index will show a pattern of "stability in the front and then rise". The overall logistics operation will remain stable with an upward trend, and the supply capacity of high-quality and high-efficiency logistics will continue to improve. This has played a fundamental role in ensuring smooth domestic and international circulation, accelerating commodity circulation, and improving economic efficiency. Hu Han further analyzed that in the second half of 2024, the Chinese government will increase policy implementation efforts to effectively promote the release and smooth circulation of demand in the upstream and downstream of the supply chain industry chain. The business volume index, inventory turnover index, capital turnover index, equipment utilization index, and employee index will maintain a continuous upward trend in the second half of 2024. Hu Han stated that in 2024, China will accelerate the implementation of the "dual" and "two new" projects, and various regions will actively introduce policies for exchanging old appliances, automobiles, kitchens and bathrooms for new ones, as well as large-scale industrial equipment renewal plans. At the same time, there was a brief "window period" for global goods trade before the new round of tariff measures was introduced. With the help of policies, endogenous driving forces, and external factors, the total logistics business index has been rising for five consecutive months. In December 2024, the total business index was 53.1%, an increase of 2.1 percentage points from July 2024. Among them, the total business volume index of the three major regions has increased in a balanced manner, with the eastern region showing the most significant increase. Road transportation is known as the "capillaries" of the economy, penetrating every corner of urban and rural areas. The continuous upgrading of the rural road "Village to Village" project not only improves travel, but also paves the way for logistics and distribution, enabling the vigorous development of rural e-commerce and increasing farmers' income and wealth. Trucks loaded with fruits, vegetables, and grains are driving from the fields to the city, and specialty agricultural products are sold well nationwide through road transportation. Data shows that in December 2024, the total business volume index of road transportation, water transportation, and multimodal transportation sectors increased by 0.6, 1.1, and 0.3 percentage points respectively compared to the previous month, while the total business volume index of railway transportation, air transportation, and postal express delivery remained in the high prosperity range of over 55%. Hu Han stated that in December 2024, there will be an increase in logistics demand in industrial sectors such as electrical machinery, semiconductors, communication equipment, transportation equipment, and new energy vehicle manufacturing. The consumption potential of residents continues to be released, and the demand for online shopping remains stable. Coal, grain and other bulk commodities have slowed down on the basis of previous incremental growth, and the volume of railway transportation business has decreased. The overall volume of logistics business in the water transportation sector has increased, but there are differences between internal and external factors. Domestic coastal bulk cargo transportation has fluctuated and rebounded, while cross-border e-commerce and general cargo trade have driven steady growth in sea freight containers. (New Society)