Logistics is the "backbone" of the real economy, connecting production and consumption, domestic and foreign trade. Following the effective reduction of logistics costs for the entire society proposed at the 2023 Central Economic Work Conference, the 2024 Central Economic Work Conference further proposed the "Special Action to Reduce Logistics Costs for the Whole Society", a series of arrangements and deployments aimed at continuously enhancing the core competitiveness of industries and improving economic operational efficiency. The level of social logistics costs is a concentrated reflection of the quality of national economic development and comprehensive competitiveness. Reducing the logistics costs of the entire society is beneficial for the smoother flow of goods and services at all stages, improving resource allocation efficiency, and promoting smooth economic circulation; Beneficial for breaking down barriers between industries, promoting industrial transformation, upgrading, and collaborative integration, and forming a complete industrial and supply chain system; It is conducive to improving product competitiveness, enabling industries and enterprises to better participate in global economic cooperation and competition, and enhancing their position in the global industrial chain and supply chain. The social logistics cost does not equal the direct logistics cost, but refers to the various expenses incurred by the national economy for social logistics activities. Usually, countries use the ratio of total social logistics costs to GDP to measure the level of logistics costs invested in economic operations, and the main factors affecting this ratio are economic structure and economic level. Therefore, effectively reducing the logistics costs of the whole society is not simply about lowering logistics prices or squeezing the profit levels of all parties, but about putting effort into quality upgrading and efficiency improvement, focusing more on quality efficiency, structural optimization, innovation leadership, filling in shortcomings and improving systems, and creating space for cost reduction. It is necessary to take reducing the logistics costs of the whole society as an important task to promote the high-quality development of modern logistics, vigorously implement the special action to reduce the logistics costs of the whole society, and focus on developing new technologies, new formats, and new models of modern logistics. Precise measures should be taken around key areas and weak links, filling in the gaps and weaknesses, optimizing the logistics development environment, and improving the efficiency and benefits of economic circulation. Building a modern logistics system is the core goal of effectively reducing logistics costs for the entire society. In recent years, China has attached great importance to the development of modern logistics industry. The infrastructure such as logistics channels, logistics hubs, and logistics terminal networks is constantly improving, and the construction of strategic backbone channels such as border and coastal logistics corridors and western land sea new channels is accelerating. The railway entry rate of major ports along the Yangtze River and the national coastal ports has exceeded 90%. As of now, there are 152 national logistics hub cities in China, and 229 national logistics hubs and 86 national backbone cold chain logistics bases have been constructed in batches. A total of 337800 village level postal and logistics comprehensive service stations with "one point, multiple functions, one station, multiple uses" have been built. At the same time, big data, artificial intelligence, and other technologies are accelerating the innovation and application of logistics intelligence, informatization, and green technology, deepening supply chain collaboration, and continuously reducing logistics costs. The latest statistical data shows that in 2024, the ratio of total social logistics costs to GDP in China was 14.1%, a decrease of 0.3 percentage points from the previous year and the lowest level since the official establishment of statistics in 2006. Building a modern logistics system is a complex system engineering that requires accurate grasp of development trends, adherence to the requirements of modern logistics operation system construction, improvement of modern logistics service system and modern commercial circulation system, effective reduction of logistics costs for the whole society, and promotion of high-quality development of modern logistics. One is to strengthen the support of modern logistics infrastructure and accelerate the construction of a modern logistics operation system of "channel+hub+network". Based on the national comprehensive three-dimensional transportation network planning and construction, layout the "four horizontal and five vertical" domestic logistics channels. Actively adapt to the requirements of high-quality joint construction of the "the Belt and Road" and expansion of high-level opening up, and build an international logistics channel interconnected with surrounding countries around the expansion of "land, sea and air network" open channels. Deepen the construction of national logistics hubs, optimize functional layout, and promote the optimization and integration of regional logistics resources. Strengthen the interconnection and information sharing of logistics infrastructure, support the connection and interconnection of various logistics parks, logistics centers, distribution facilities, professional markets, etc. with national logistics hubs to form a logistics hub network, and build a modern logistics operation system of "channel+hub+network" that is interconnected internally and externally, efficient and convenient, and facilitates internal and external circulation. The second is to improve the modern logistics service system from the perspective of serving the real economy and facilitating economic circulation. Around the development of the real economy, we will accelerate the digital transformation, intelligent upgrading, and service innovation of logistics, fill the gaps in professional logistics, cultivate new logistics models and formats, and improve the intensive and efficient modern logistics service system. Give full play to the role of modern logistics in connecting production and consumption, and promote the integration and development of modern logistics with modern agriculture, advanced manufacturing, and modern service industries at a higher level. By relying on new infrastructure such as big data centers, we aim to enhance the logistics network's ability to support the efficient flow of economic factors, promote cross regional resource integration, industrial chain linkage, and value creation, build a transportation layout, productivity layout, and industrial layout guided by regional integration development, promote industrial cluster development, and continuously enhance industrial competitiveness. The third is to focus on better meeting the living needs of urban and rural residents and improving the modern commercial circulation system. Adapt to the trend of expanding domestic demand and upgrading consumption, fully leverage the strategic support and guarantee role of the logistics industry in the modern circulation system, optimize urban and rural commercial logistics infrastructure, improve the graded distribution system, achieve organic connection and integrated operation of trunk, branch and end of pipe logistics, continuously reduce cycle costs, and improve cycle quality. Accelerate the filling of gaps in logistics facilities and services between regions and urban-rural areas, accelerate the construction of cold chain logistics systems and emergency logistics systems, encourage logistics enterprises to deepen cooperation with commercial enterprises, promote the integration and innovation of online and offline, domestic and foreign trade, create a digital, intelligent, and open modern commercial circulation system, and strengthen the supply and service guarantee of high-quality consumer goods. Author: Yan Shaojun (Researcher at China International Economic Exchange Center)