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Japan, China and the Republic of Korea agreed to join forces to realize a seamless logistics system, develop eco-friendly logistics services and achieve a good balance between safety and efficiency in logistics. The logistics ministers of the three Asian economies gathered at a Yokohama hotel on Aug. 25 for their fifth meeting, at which they adopted a joint declaration to promote their cooperation to clear the abovementioned goals.
Chaired by Minister of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism Akihiro Ota of Japan, the meeting was joined by Chief Engineer Zhou Haitao of China’s Ministry of Transport and Minister of Oceans and Fisheries Lee Ju-young of South Korea. They unveiled an action plan after exchanging views on international logistics policies.
The action plan is made up of 12 proposals, which include a new route between Hakata, Japan and Busan, South Korea in the two nations’ joint chassis service, in which those from one country are allowed to directly enter the other; a pilot project to visualize cargo movement in the Northeast Asia Logistics Information Service Network (NEAL-NET), which will be commenced in August; and a project to launch services on the Northern Sea route. The three ministers also agreed to meet next time in China.
To realize a seamless logistics system, China and South Korea will endeavor to vitalize their chassis operation system. Japan and South Korea, which have a similar system between Shimonoseki and Busan, will undertake a pilot program for developing the new route between Hakata and Busan to meet demand for handling auto parts and components. Meanwhile, Japan and China will continue their joint research on pilot projects.
Having established standards for sharing information on ship and container movement, the NEAL-NET will begin a pilot program as early as this month in partnership with users, or shippers and logistics service providers. The network indicated that it will expand its business operations into Europe and Southeast Asia, where the members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) will be united economically in 2015 to form an ASEAN Economic Community (AEC).
