A staff member transports goods at a warehouse in Lianyun District of Lianyungang, east China's Jiangsu Province, June 17, 2026. (Photo: Xinhua)

China's logistics demand maintained steady growth in the first half of the year, supported by industrial upgrading and resilient high-end manufacturing, official data showed Wednesday.

The total value of national social logistics reached 181.1 trillion yuan (about 26.7 trillion U.S. dollars) in the January-June period, up 5.1 percent year on year, outpacing GDP growth by 0.4 percentage points over the same period, according to data from the China Federation of Logistics and Purchasing.

The structure of social logistics has undergone notable changes, with demand for logistics services from high-end manufacturing, advanced equipment, and consumer-related sectors outpacing that of traditional industries, Zhou Zhicheng, spokesperson for the federation, noted.

Industrial goods logistics expanded 5.4 percent year on year in the first half. As China accelerated the development of new quality productive forces, logistics demand from the high-tech manufacturing and digital product manufacturing sectors increased by 13.3 percent and 12.3 percent, respectively, outpacing overall industrial goods logistics growth by 7.9 and 6.9 percentage points, respectively.

On the import side, changes in domestic demand and fluctuations in global commodity prices reshaped logistics demand. Imports of crude oil and steel declined 11.4 percent and 11.3 percent, respectively, from a year earlier.

In contrast, imports of semiconductor manufacturing equipment and integrated circuits rose 20.4 percent and 8.1 percent, highlighting the resilience of logistics demand for intermediate goods used in high-end manufacturing, the data showed.