国内英语新闻:Chinese Vice Premier vows to cut logistics costs

SHENZHEN, Nov. 16 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Vice Premier Wang Yang said here on Saturday that the country will continue its efforts to develop the logistics industry and cut logistics costs.

During an inspection tour to the southern Shenzhen city, a logistics center in China, Wang said the country will push for standardization in the logistics sector to improve efficiency.

More than 800 million pallets are used by Chinese logistics companies, but most of them are non-standardized, hindering efficiency improvement, said the vice premier.

China is considering measures to encourage companies to replace old pallets with standard ones, Wang said.

A pallet is a wooden or plastic base for moving or storing goods.Companies using standard pallets for loading and unloading usually have lower costs and higher efficiency for handling or storage.

Wang also visited a farm produce wholesale market on Saturday and called for more supportive measures in construction and operation of key farm produce wholesale markets.

The vice premier visited the 15th China High-tech Fair that opened here on Saturday.