Joining Hands to Drive Freight Towards Decarbonisation
The IKI project “Sino-German Cooperation on Decarbonising Freight Transport” (CDFT) kicked off its project activities with an official launch event in Beijing.
In April 2025, Chinese and German stakeholders launched the new project “Sino-German Cooperation on Decarbonising Freight Transport” (CDFT). The new IKI project aims to develop joint solutions for decarbonization in partnership with the Chinese Ministry of Transport (MoT) and further implementing partners.
Similar challenges
The global freight sector is facing a dual challenge: Surging demand for goods delivery and the urgent need for decarbonisation. China and Germany are experiencing similar challenges in decarbonising the freight sector, despite each country’s own advantages, experiences and insights in logistics, multi- and intermodal integration, digitisation and decarbonisation. As Birgit Schwenk (Deputy Director General for National and European Climate Policy, Federal Ministry of Economic Affairs and Climate Action, BMWK) highlighted: “As two major transport markets with a similar challenge, China and Germany can both benefit from a collective focus and strengthened cooperation”.
The CDFT project takes a holistic approach to freight decarbonization, incorporating research, pilots and policy advisory towards zero-emission freight transport both in long-haul and urban freight in China. Moreover, project activities foster enhanced international exchange on ambitious emission reduction strategies and roadmaps. “Let us join hands to create a future for low-carbon freight,” urged WU Wei, Deputy Director, Road Freight Transport Division, Transport Service Department, MoT.
Visions and challenges
At the kick-off event, implementing partners shared their visions and policy frameworks for low-carbon freight transport in both countries. This showed that modal shift in long-haul freight transport, coupled with measures to accelerate electrification of fleets are core pillars in both countries.
However, challenges such as the high cost of EVs, limited charging infrastructure, and the need for stronger policy support were identified as obstacles. Furthermore, the importance of digitalization and standardization for enhancing logistics efficiency was underscored. For urban delivery, the project will build cooperation and exchange on innovative approaches, such as the economic and environmental potential of autonomous delivery of goods.
Overcoming barriers
To foster deeper industry dialogue and strengthen public-private collaboration, the project’s official kick-off also marked the launch of a new multi-stakeholder Working Group on Decarbonising Freight Transport in China. Convened by the Global Sustainable Transport Innovation and Knowledge Center (GSTIKC) and the implementing organisation Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ), and guided by the MoT, the group brings together representatives from 15 leading companies, government agencies and civil society representatives.
With a focus on identifying regulatory responses for overcoming barriers to faster transformation of the freight industry – like the swift deployment of electric trucks – the Working Group aims to generate actionable policy recommendations. “The global freight industry must collaborate across the entire value chain,” stated LI Disi (GSTIKC).
Experiences from Suzhou
The city of Suzhou shared its experience on how local governments can accelerate progress in low-carbon freight. Suzhou is at the forefront of realizing modal shift, integrating electric vehicle infrastructure and pioneering last-mile delivery solutions, such as drone-based services. These initiatives have reduced emissions, improved logistics efficiency and fostered innovation.
By refining low-carbon freight strategies through international exchange, the project aims to create impactful, replicable solutions for both China and Germany.
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