Company profile · Logistics and shipping
Sinotrans
中国外运股份有限公司
Sinotrans is China's largest freight forwarder and a flagship of China Merchants Group: founded in 1950 as the state's foreign-trade transport agency, it runs the country's broadest logistics network across forwarding, contract logistics, chemical and automotive logistics and China–Europe rail.
Key facts
Overview
China National Foreign Trade Transportation Corporation — Sinotrans — was founded in 1950 to move the goods of the state trading companies and grew with China's foreign trade into the country's largest freight forwarder. It was listed in Hong Kong in 2003 and in Shanghai in 2019, and since the 2017 merger of its parent Sinotrans & CSC into China Merchants Group it has been the logistics platform of one of China's oldest state conglomerates, which also owns ports (China Merchants Port), shipping and banking.
Sinotrans operates air and sea freight forwarding, customs brokerage, contract logistics and warehousing, chemical and dangerous-goods logistics, automotive and project logistics, cross-border e-commerce logistics and a China–Europe rail product; it has a joint venture with DHL for express and works with the group's port network.
Market position
The largest freight forwarder in China by volume and the most extensive domestic network, with particular strength in air freight, chemical logistics and government-linked cargo; abroad it is present through offices and agents in some 40 countries.
Key strengths
- Largest domestic logistics network in China
- Air freight forwarding leadership
- Chemical, dangerous-goods and automotive logistics specialisation
- China Merchants Group port and finance links
- Long experience with state and large-enterprise shippers
What the company does
Freight forwarding
- Air freight
- Sea freight
- China–Europe rail
- Customs clearance and documentation
Contract logistics
- Warehousing and distribution
- E-commerce fulfilment
- Automotive inbound and aftermarket logistics
- Inventory management
Specialised transport
- Chemical and dangerous-goods logistics
- Project cargo
- Temperature-controlled transport
Terminal services
- Container terminal operations
- Container leasing and depots
Present in about 40 countries. Regions: China, Asia, Europe, Americas, Africa. About 200 overseas offices and a wider agent network.
For a foreign counterparty
- Network depth in China
- Coverage of inland provinces, bonded zones and rail terminals that few competitors match.
- Regulatory experience
- Decades of working with customs and state shippers translate into reliable clearance and documentation.
- Specialised logistics
- Chemical, dangerous-goods and automotive capabilities with the certifications those cargoes require.
Considerations
- State-enterprise processes
- Decision-making can be slower and more formal than at private forwarders.
- Pricing
- Not always the lowest rate; value lies in coverage and reliability.
- Standardisation
- Bespoke arrangements are available for large accounts, less so for small ones.
Milestones
- 1950 — Founded as China National Foreign Trade Transportation Corporation
- 2003-02 — Sinotrans Limited lists on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange
- 2017 — Parent Sinotrans & CSC merged into China Merchants Group
- 2019-01 — A-share listing on the Shanghai Stock Exchange
- 2024 — Expansion of China–Europe rail and cross-border e-commerce logistics products
Official site: www.sinotrans.com
Frequently asked questions
Other companies in logistics and shipping: COSCO Shipping Logistics
Sources
- Sinotrans Limited — annual report 2024 — Sinotrans Limited (retrieved 6 September 2026)
- China Merchants Group — subsidiaries — China Merchants Group (retrieved 6 September 2026)
- Sinotrans (0598) company information — Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing (retrieved 6 September 2026)
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