In wake of pandemic slowdowns, decade-old initiative plays major role in China's partnerships with other nations, regions

After setting up a delivery services venture between China and Southeast Asia in 2019, Best Inc of Hangzhou, Zhejiang province, said it had handled only a limited number of online orders placed by Southeast Asian consumers through Chinese e-commerce platforms.

Best had hoped to expand its presence in Belt and Road Initiative-related markets. But at the time, they were new to the market and not yet widely known.

Things, however, have changed significantly. The company, which has continued to add to its infrastructure in the region, said it has experienced significant growth in recent years.

Driven by the increasing demand, Best now ships dozens of standard twenty-foot equivalent units of containers from Chinese ports to Southeast Asian countries each month. The company said its business in that category witnessed a 45 percent year-on-year surge in the first quarter of 2023.

"The tangible expansion of the BRI and its various forms of cooperation have greatly contributed to the remarkable growth of Best's sales. Among the notable impacts, our warehouses in Malaysia have experienced a significant upsurge in transportation services for large and heavy cross-border goods from China in recent months," said Zhu Jiashu, deputy general manager of Best Global, the group's international arm.

Best to date has established service branches in countries and regions such as Japan, Australia and Southeast Asia, and built a logistics network in five countries, including Vietnam and Thailand in the Asia-Pacific region.