“Overseas warehouses serve as a vital infrastructure that boosts growth in the nation’s cross-border ecommerce sector.”

Ji said intelligent logistics technologies, ranging from automatic sorting robots to driverless vehicles, have been used in overseas warehouses to improve delivery efficiency and reduce operational costs.

JD Logistics announced in June the opening of its first automated warehouse in Los Angeles.

The total area of JD’S warehouses in the US has reached nearly 92,900 million sq m, connecting logistics hubs in the eastern, central and western parts of the US, so as to provide next-day delivery services for major cities in the country.

Chinese enterprises are facing mounting uncertainties, such as fluctuations in the shipping and air cargo market, Ji said. “As key infrastructure in the new form of foreign trade, overseas warehouses can alleviate uncertainties in global supply chains and drive high-quality growth of foreign trade.”

She added the efforts to accelerate the construction of overseas warehouses are of significance in helping cross-border ecommerce platforms boost delivery efficiency, reduce logistics costs and improve user experience, as well as allowing global consumers to access high-quality Chinese brands and products.

“Overseas warehouses serve as a vital infrastructure that boosts growth in the nation’s cross-border ecommerce sector,” said Zhang Zhouping, a senior analyst of business-to-business and cross-border activities at the Internet Economy Institute, a domestic consultancy, adding such facilities enable quicker Customs clearance, faster delivery and lower costs.

Zhang said overseas warehouses are playing a critical role in enhancing delivery efficiency, and ensuring the stability of the supply and industrial chains.

The development of overseas warehouses has been high on the government’s agenda in recent years.

The Commerce Ministry said earlier this month it will work with other departments to roll out measures to support logistics enterprises and cross-border ecommerce platforms and sellers to build overseas warehouses.