(Yicai Global) Nov. 4 -- International logistics giants, including FedEx, UPS, and DHL, will participate one more time in the China International Import Expo this year, as the demand for cross-border logistics is rising despite the impact of Covid-19.

FedEx will have an open booth in the service trade exhibition area of the CIIE, where visitors will be able to get to know the services provided by the US logistics titan by playing games or watching videos, Yicai Global learned.

E-commerce will drive the express logistics industry to grow at an annual pace of 4.9 percent in the next 20 years and become the main growth engine for international air freight, French plane maker Air Bus said in a recent report. The express logistics industry will take up a 25 percent share in the air freight market by 2041, it added.

This is the third year FedEx has participated in the CIIE. “We are committed to using our logistics network, service capabilities, and transfer centers to stabilize the global supply chain, improve interconnection between the Chinese and international markets, and contribute to global economic growth,” Chen Jialiang, the firm’s senior vice president and president of the China business, told Yicai Global.

UPS, which attended all previous four CIIE editions, will present its smart logistics network, innovative digital solutions, and achievements in sustainable development at the expo this year. Its logistics experts will demonstrate supply chain diagnosis and optimization solutions to help companies cut their inventories and control costs.

DHL will display its measures to promote cross-border e-commerce development at the CIIE. “We are confident about the potential of the Chinese market and will continue to invest and develop our businesses in China,” Wu Dongming, chief executive officer of the company’s Chinese arm, told Yicai Global.

Chinese express delivery companies are speeding up their international business positioning. YTO Express, which acquired Hong Kong-based Ontime Express in 2017, will attend the expo this year under the brand YTO International to showcase its express delivery and supply chain products.

“The world’s top 500 companies gather at the CIIE to exhibit their latest technologies, products, and services,” a senior manager at Shanghai-based YTO Express told Yicai Global. “At the expo, we will grasp the opportunity to look for suitable technologies and devices to enhance our services, as well as discover our weaknesses by comparing ourselves with other firms to improve our products, services, and core competitiveness.”

Editors: Dou Shicong, Futura Costaglione