DHL opens Shenzhen super gateway

SHENZHEN - DHL Express on Monday put its Shenzhen super gateway into operation at Shenzhen Bao'an International Airport in South China's Guangdong province.

It marks the company's biggest single investment project in the Chinese mainland to date, with total investment exceeding 1.2 billion yuan ($176.7 million).

Expanded and upgraded from DHL's existing Shenzhen gateway, the facility now has an operating area of 22,000 square meters and a daily cargo handling capacity of 900 tons, about triple its previous capacity.

Construction of the facility began in 2022. Featuring automation, unmanned operations and intelligent technologies, it is equipped with high-speed sorting systems, automated storage facilities, robotic arms and automated guided vehicles (AGVs), forming an intelligent logistics system covering unloading, storage, sorting, handling, inspection and monitoring.

The new gateway will enable more direct cargo flights from Shenzhen to destinations across the Asia-Pacific region and beyond, allowing products from the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, including electronics, cross-border e-commerce parcels and precision components, to reach overseas markets more efficiently, the company said.

John Pearson, CEO of DHL Express, said the Shenzhen super gateway is an important part of DHL's global strategy to expand its presence in China, as it provides greater handling capacity and more efficient logistics services to support regional economic integration and trade growth.

China is continuously optimizing its institutional opening up to attract further foreign investment and drive sustainable economic growth. An action plan released last month on optimizing foreign investment has pledged wider market access in sectors such as services, finance and pharmaceuticals, along with easier cross-border mergers and acquisitions, data flows and reinvestment by foreign firms.

Almost 4,800 foreign-funded enterprises made additional investments in China in the first half of 2026, while the number of newly established foreign-invested enterprises rose 5.3 percent year-on-year, according to China's Ministry of Commerce.