Executive Summary:
- The People’s Republic of China (PRC) is shaping global trade standards in data control and customs clearance. These standards give preference to Chinese platforms that provide Beijing with end-to-end visibility into global shipping.
- No Western equivalent of this system exists, and the resulting data asymmetry could enable PRC actors to identify supply chain chokepoints, exploit dependencies in critical resources, and circumvent tariffs, sanctions, and export controls.
- Chinese trade platforms gain international power via bilateral adoption agreements, multilateral institutions like the World Customs Organization, and standards-setting bodies led by Alibaba and state-run LOGINK. This ecosystem embeds Chinese platforms and norms into global trade infrastructure, locking in adoption and displacing alternatives.
Cainiao Network Technology (Cainiao; 菜鸟网络科技), Alibaba’s logistics branch, opened a parcel processing center at the U.S.–Mexico border earlier this year (South China Morning Post, January 9). The company already has a global reach, maintaining an expansive e-commerce logistics network outside the People’s Republic of China (PRC) that spans 40 warehouses across 18 different countries (Cainiao, March 12). In the United States, this included distribution centers in Los Angeles, New York, Miami, and Chicago as of early 2025 (Xinhua, January 23, 2025). Cainiao has rapidly expanded throughout Europe, Asia, the Middle East, and the Western Hemisphere since then (Cainiao, accessed May 5; Wall Street CN, May 19).
Cainiao’s logistics network is part of a broader ecosystem of Chinese trade platforms. The National Public Information Platform for Transportation and Logistics (LOGINK; 国家交通运输物流公共信息平台/国家物流平台), a state-supported logistics data management platform that collects data on global shipping, grounds this ecosystem. The electronic world trade platform initiative (eWTP; 世界电子贸易平台), an Alibaba-led multi-stakeholder initiative, sets international standards and hosts a public service platform used for trade documentation. By the time goods exported from the PRC reach their overseas destination, it is plausible that a series of Chinese entities have managed every leg of the shipment.
This ecosystem, coupled with the PRC’s global array of ports and transport infrastructure, provides Beijing with a powerful tool for monitoring global trade—even when non-PRC entities are involved. [1] Chinese authorities can access this data by law, and many of the entities involved are likely to share it willingly: many leading PRC logistics, shipping, and port infrastructure firms have affirmed support for Beijing’s military–civil fusion agenda (China Brief, March 15, 2024, May 9, 2025). In an age of growing geopolitical fragmentation, the exploitation of chokepoints, and the imposition of barriers to trade, dominating the platforms that manage and govern international commerce represents a clear point of leverage for Beijing.
Central Policy Drives Domestic Adoption
The rise of the PRC’s sprawling logistics network can be traced back to economic insecurities around the 2008–2009 global financial crisis. The State Council issued “revitalization plans” (振兴规划) for ten industries including, in March 2009, the logistics sector. This plan marked the first central-level endorsement of a public information platform for the logistics industry (物流公共信息平台), outlining the need to “transform the mode of economic development and enhance the competitiveness of the national economy” (转变经济发展方式和增强国民经济竞争力具有重要意义) (National Development and Reform Committee [NDRC], March 10, 2009). Implicit in this statement was a perception that a global logistics network could blunt the impact of future economic shocks. This would ultimately come to mean projecting influence overseas to maintain an advantage in relation to foreign competition; but at this stage, the nascent logistics platform was only intended for domestic use.
Seven years after the Zhejiang provincial government established LOGINK in 2007, the central government named it a “key project” (重点工程) in the national Medium- and Long-Term Plan for the Development of the Logistics Industry (2014–2020) (物流业发展中长期规划 (2014–2020)) (State Council, September 12, 2014; Zhejiang Online, December 16, 2015). The plan said that LOGINK would incorporate BeiDou satellite navigation, the Internet of Things, cloud computing, and big data for applications such as “end-to-end traceability of information” (信息全程可追踪) (State Council, September 12, 2014).
Achievements made under this plan were consolidated in 2019 under the “Outline on Building a Transportation Great Power” (交通强国建设纲要), which also promoted further penetrating global networks. Section 5 of the outline, on technological innovation, calls for “smart transportation” (智慧交通) by incorporating big data, artificial intelligence (AI), blockchain technology, and supercomputing in transportation applications. Section 8, on connecting Chinese physical and digital networks to the world, proposes using the six One Belt One Road initiative corridors and “enhancing the PRC’s international discourse power in transportation” (交通国际话语权) (State Council, September 23, 2019). [2]
LOGINK–Alibaba–State Synergy Sustains the Network
LOGINK, Cainiao, and the eWTP initiative have developed in parallel, and in key respects are mutually reinforcing. LOGINK ensures government support via access to data; Cainiao provides physical infrastructure across the world; and the eWTP initiative shapes the global logistics industry in ways that align with PRC interests. LOGINK has been operated by the China Transport Telecommunications and Information Center (CTTIC; 中国交通通信信息中心) under the Ministry of Transportation (MOT) since 2019. At the time, the handover was billed as a way to contribute to building a “transportation strong nation” (交通强国) by supporting the government first and industry second (CTTIC, April 2, 2019). Alibaba bridges the state–private sector divide through its majority stake in Cainiao and the eWTP initiative that it leads. Cainiao explicitly links its global network of warehouses and smart logistics “eHubs” to the “eWTP strategy” (Cainiao, accessed May 4). The strength of this synergy is evident in their reach: Cainiao has eHubs in Hong Kong, Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, Vietnam, and Belgium; and eWTP’s public service platform extends to logistics centers and ports in Rwanda, Ethiopia, and Mexico, with plans for integration in Korean, Polish, Pakistani, and Spanish facilities (eWTP, accessed May 3).
Adoption of one Chinese platform facilitates the expansion of the others. Setting international standards, in particular, locks in the entire Chinese network. For example, the International Port Community Systems Association (IPCSA) joined LOGINK, Cainiao, and eWTP on the International Logistics Visibility Task Force (国际物流可视化任务组) in 2018, to support their joint goal of setting “de facto industry standards” (业界事实标准) for information sharing (China News Online, October 23, 2018). This enabled LOGINK to track goods that are increasingly processed in Cainiao eHubs and facilitated by eWTP-related documentation. The network’s joint expansion increases data flows for LOGINK that could be accessed by its managers at the MOT. According to LOGINK’s own catalogue from 2018, it documents cargo-level tracking data, customs clearance information, corporate registry data, billing and payment documentation, and geolocation information from satellite navigation systems—in line with the plans for the platform highlighted above (USCC, September 20, 2022).
Exporting the Ecosystem
The PRC maintains and expands control by embedding this ecosystem abroad such that even when PRC entities do not own or operate ports or logistics facilities, Chinese standards and data collection mechanisms remain key to their operation.
LOGINK began to set industry standards as it spread across the PRC, even before it became a national or international tool. Hu Yijun (胡奕军), deputy director of the Zhejiang Province Road Transport Administration, saw how the widespread adoption of LOGINK’s software facilitated the implementation of its standards as early as 2015. This process, in which “logistics information flows alongside the software” (物流信息是跟着软件走的), which was becoming increasingly “popularized” (普及了), continues as these platforms are adopted globally, embedding Chinese software and collecting global logistics data (Zhejiang Online, December 16, 2015). Coordinated efforts to export the network began in 2018, and the adoption of both norms and platforms has continued since then.
Trade Associations Provide Global Data
LOGINK joined the IPCSA’s Network of Trusted Networks (NoTN) in 2022. NoTN was developed to provide information sharing on end-to-end shipping data, a capability that had been promoted by the PRC as a key goal since 2014 (IPCSA, April 11, 2022). Participation provided LOGINK with global vessel and voyage information, adding to its ability to track and trace cargo (Smart Maritime Network, April 11, 2022).
Adoption Through Bilateral Agreements
At a G20 summit in Hangzhou in 2016, the leaders’ communiqué noted the development of the eWTP (G20 Research Group, September 5, 2016). The summit took place on Alibaba’s home turf, enabling founder Jack Ma to chair the affiliated B20 Business summit. Ma leveraged his position as chair to secure this quasi-endorsement of the eWTP, which soon led to the first adoption agreement with Malaysia in 2017 (eWTP, accessed May 3). Then-Malaysian prime minister Najib Razak highlighted Ma’s involvement, saying that his meeting with Ma convinced him to “embrace” (拥抱) eWTP, culminating in a memorandum of understanding between Cainiao and Malaysia Airports Holdings Berhad (Beijing Business Today, November 4, 2017). [3]
Belgium joined the network in 2018 when Cainiao opened an eWTP hub in Liège. The Belgian BE-GATE e-commerce customs clearance system is now linked to the eWTP portal, and Liège airport receives direct cargo flights from major Chinese cities such as Guangzhou and Hangzhou. Liu Xiaochen (刘晓晨), deputy division leader at the General Administration of Customs of China’s (GACC) international office, said that Alibaba envisions the eventual “mutual exchange and recognition of customs declaration information” (双方可以实现报关信息互通互认) (China Pictorial, September 14, 2020). Such an agreement would encourage bilateral trade by removing barriers, potentially displacing trade with Western partners. That Alibaba is reportedly moving in this direction shows how the export of digital standards by corporate actors advances broader national priorities. Cainiao expresses direct support for national strategies, describing this facility as supporting dual-circulation (“助力国际国内双循环”), which in practice fuses security and development “into a single system of strategic advantage,” according to analysts (China Brief, November 3, 2025; Cainiao, accessed February 14). [4]
Pakistan, a reliable partner of the PRC, is planning an eWTP partnership centered around customs clearance and currency settlement (Hangzhou Online, November 22, 2024). At the World Internet Conference Wuzhen Summit in 2024, Syed Aftab Haider, CEO of the country’s trade documentation platform Pakistan Single Window, said that the country should “consult policies currently being adopted by countries such as the PRC” (应该参考中国等 … 正采用的政策). In April 2024, a Pakistani delegation on a tour designed to help participants “understand China” (读懂中国) also met with representatives from eWTP (People’s Daily Overseas, April 30, 2024).
These examples indicate that eWTP is steadily entering the global market in receptive countries. As more countries implement these platforms and norms, however, the PRC will work to set them as the global default.
‘PRC-Only’ Multilateralism Exports Norms to ASEAN
PRC engagement with multilateral organizations encourages the adoption of its platforms and standards. The ASEAN–China Free Trade Area (ACFTA) 3.0 Upgrade Protocol codified “economic and technical cooperation” in, among other areas, customs procedures and trade facilitations; standards, technical regulations, and conformity; supply chain connectivity; and micro, small, and medium enterprises (Ministry of Commerce, accessed May 13). Yuan Bo (袁波) of the Ministry of Commerce lauded the agreement, which she characterized as the “rules and future” (规则与未来) of PRC–ASEAN trade (International Business Daily, November 21, 2025). Even though eWTP has not been adopted by all ASEAN member states, the PRC’s multilateral relations allow Chinese entities to define these institutions.
International Organizations Codify Norms
In December 2023, the World Customs Organization (WCO) and the PRC’s GACC launched the Smart Customs Project (WCO, December 18, 2023). The project, funded by the WCO–GACC Customs Cooperation Fund of China (CCF-China), aims to integrate technological solutions into customs systems, launch a digital platform to share solutions, and host regional workshops. These workshops, like others held in Lima in March 2024 and Cameroon in April 2026, encourage global adoption of Chinese standards by providing training and educating audiences on the utility of Chinese platforms (WCO, March 28, 2024; April 21). The Smart Customs Community Portal, funded by CCF-China, serves the same purpose (WCO, March 5, 2025).
The most visible contribution of the PRC’s GACC has been in the deployment of AI and machine learning (ML) applications in customs clearance. A WCO case study, published in January 2025, outlines Chinese applications of AI/ML for smart image analysis to scan for discrepancies in customs declarations (WCO, January 2025). GACC and CCF-China’s research on applications within the WCO sets the stage for export of the Chinese hardware (Nuctech scanners; 同方威视) and software (tianxuan AI; 天璇) stacks (Nuctech, March 20, 2024; WCO, accessed April 27, 2025). As early as 2022, customs officials from the United Kingdom, Mongolia, and Norway had visited Tianjin to review GACC’s smart customs system, suggesting international interest in adopting their tools (China News Online, April 18, 2022). On the hardware side, Nuctech scanners are already deployed around the world, including at NATO–Russia border crossings in Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, and Poland (Associated Press, January 20, 2022; AidData, February 20, 2025). Nuctech launched its newest customs platform at a WCO conference this year, reflecting how the platforms leading the PRC’s digital trade network bring other problematic entities along with them (AidData, February 20, 2025; Nuctech, accessed May 7).
LOGINK and Alibaba also played a role in developing new standards for the International Organization for Standardization (ISO). Zhu Hongru (朱红儒), head of Alibaba’s standardization department, chaired the technical committee that produced ISO 23354, which requires end-to-end visibility of logistics flow for businesses. ISO 23355 went into effect in 2024, providing specifications for logistics visibility data and data elements (ISO, November 30, 2021). According to Zhu, these standards were developed based on industry practices developed by LOGINK, as well as the Northeast Asia Logistics Information Service Network (NEAL-NET) and the IPCSA, both of which count LOGINK as a member. As the guiding force behind the new standards, and as an established leader in logistics data collection, the new standards consolidate LOGINK’s leadership and facilitate its global adoption.
Conclusion
There is no Western equivalent of the PRC’s global trade platform ecosystem. U.S. Customs and Border Protection operates the Automated Commercial Environment (ACE) system for processing imports and exports; the EU operates the Customs Union framework to unify continental trade; and other countries and regions have their own single-window systems for customs and trade processing. None of these systems or interfaces is currently promoted as a global solution in the way that Chinese systems are. Synergy between the state, Alibaba’s Cainiao and eWTP, and LOGINK has created a system that can track nearly all global shipping data and re-write the rules of customs clearance.
The growing presence of Chinese platforms in global trade presents the Chinese Communist Party with unprecedented control over trade flows. Access to other countries’ shipping data means that PRC actors have visibility into their supply chains. As the platforms spread around the world, this will provide the PRC government a more comprehensive picture of U.S. and Western dependencies. This would enable identifying and potentially exploiting chokepoints, such as imports of critical minerals, energy resources, and agricultural products. In the hands of Chinese operators, this data could empower Chinese exporters to skirt tariffs, sanctions, import restrictions, and export controls—including those related to Russia’s war in Ukraine and Iran’s ability to sustain its war effort. All of these tools depend on visibility into logistics information that is increasingly controlled by PRC entities, posing a challenge to U.S. economic statecraft and law enforcement efforts.
Notes
[1] Chinese media has reported that LOGINK’s partnership with CargoSmart (货讯通), a shipping management software provider, gave it visibility into 90 percent of global trade flows (Guangming Daily, November 20, 2016).
[2] The six corridors are: the New Eurasian Land Bridge Economic Corridor (新亚欧大陆桥经济走廊), the China-Mongolia-Russia Economic Corridor (中蒙俄经济走廊), the China-Central Asia-West Asia Economic Corridor (中国—中亚—西亚经济走廊), the China-Indochina Peninsula Economic Corridor (中国—中南半岛经济走廊), the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (中巴经济走廊), and the Bangladesh-China-India-Myanmar Economic Corridor (孟中印缅经济走廊) (Belt and Road Portal, July 20, 2018).
[3] Malaysia Airports Holdings Berhad is a subsidiary of Khazanah Nasional, the sovereign wealth fund of the Malaysian government.
[4] There is no reference to dual circulation in Cainiao’s descriptions of Malaysian and Thai eHubs or its warehouse network across Southeast Asia. The only other use of the term on the company’s website is in a press release related to domestic operations, and it is listed as a goal alongside rural revitalization and carbon neutrality, relegating that reference to, essentially, an ESG priority.
The post The Chinese ‘Rules and Future’ of Global Trade appeared first on Jamestown.