Efforts to help logistics firms resume work boosted

China is boosting efforts to help logistics companies resume work and operation, as part of its larger drive to fight the novel coronavirus pneumonia outbreak, the country's top economic regulator said on Friday.

"The coronavirus outbreak has had a large impact on logistics in the country, and 80 percent of surveyed logistics firms said they were greatly affected by the outbreak," Gao Gao, deputy secretary-general of the National Development and Reform commission, told a news conference.

According to Gao, the country will further improve the level of customs clearance facilitation, enact more proactive fiscal policies, support the short-term financing demands of key logistics companies, smooth funding pressures on small and micro logistics firms, promptly formulate supporting regulations to build the country's emergency logistics system, promote the reconstructing of cargo transportation and improve the operational level of modern supply chains.

"Currently, the country is rolling out the list of key protected enterprises amid the prevention and control of the epidemic," Gao noted. "We've recommended several key logistics companies to be included in the list. And then financial institutions will be able to offer those firms loans with discounted interest."

To better contain the coronavirus outbreak, the NDRC will work with related departments and local governments to adopt a series of measures to guide logistics firms to orderly resume work and production, Gao added.

More efforts will also be made to closely monitor the operations of the logistics industry and promote the transformation and upgrading of the sector with better quality and efficiency.