Building an Integrated Transport System in Northeast Asia: a Delphi Study

Abstract

In the current international environment characterized by globalization and regionalization, the importance of the transport and logistics system integration which is the basis of regional economic cooperation has been highlighted. Northeast Asian Region which covers 5.7% of the total world’s area and has around 25.8% of the total world’s population has been one of the most active regions of economic and social development in recent two decades largely due to the emergence of China and Russia in the world market. However, different from the EU which provides an excellent example of economic and transport integration, the transport and logistics system in Northeast Asia still has massive room for improvement.

The concept of transportation corridor construction has been adopted in the research and the five most important international transportation corridors in Northeast Asia have been fully examined in terms of current situation and major problems and issues. The major issues include inadequate and imbalanced transportation infrastructure, lack of funding as well as insufficient institutional mechanisms. Consequently, the policy and action plans in four sectors are formulated to improve the performance of the transport and logistics system in Northeast Asia.

The current research was facilitated by experts mainly from the transport and logistics field in Northeast Asia, through the application of the Delphi Method. The consensus achieved will provide useful guidance for building a well integrated transport and logistics system in Northeast Asia. The political and economic stability of North Korea is a prerequisite for transport and logistics system construction in Northeast Asia. Furthermore, improving basic transport infrastructure, promoting logistics and transport facilities, building a logistics cooperation system and training logistics specialists are the four most important aspects for the development of the transport and logistics system in the region.