The Improvement of Logistics Management in China: A Study of the Risk Perspective

Abstract

This paper identifies and empirically validates the potential risks in overseas third-party logistics services that support sustainable cross-border e-commerce logistics in China. This research addresses a significant gap in the current literature by conducting a comprehensive literature review and case study, primarily focusing on third-party logistics services’ benefits without adequately discussing the associated risks. Our study highlights the medium and high risks in forwarding and contracting processes, such as cost uncertainty, quality issues, and cultural and language differences. The findings contribute to academic research and practical applications by providing a theoretical foundation and practical guidance for enhancing logistics management in China’s sustainable cross-border e-commerce. This research promotes the resilience and sustainability of cross-border e-commerce supply chains and offers valuable insights for overseas 3PL service providers looking to expand their operations in China.

1. Introduction

With sustainable development and the Belt and Road Initiative, cross-border e-commerce (CBEC) has been further promoted [1]. Sustainable development emphasizes the balanced development of economic growth, social progress, and environmental protection [2]. The rapid development of CBEC helps achieve this goal [3]. CBEC involves international trade conducted over the Internet through company websites or third-party platform websites [4,5]. The development of sustainable CBEC plays a crucial role in international trade [6,7]. Some scholars believe that the growth in opportunities for both developing and developed countries will benefit from global transactions [8,9]. In addition, due to the increase in customers’ online shopping behaviors, CBEC can be regarded as a new entry mode and is becoming more and more popular internationally [5,10]. In 2022, China’s trade volume with Belt and Road Initiative partner countries reached nearly USD 2.9 trillion, representing an increase of almost 76% compared to a decade ago. Emerging business models like Silk Road e-commerce and market procurement have demonstrated remarkable resilience. By the end of 2022, China’s investment stock in Belt and Road Initiative partner countries amounted to USD 309.9 billion, 2.7 times higher than in 2013. With its solid economic radiation, China has become the largest trading partner of 43 countries along the “One Belt One Road”. Some scholars have conducted a systematic analysis of 15 ports in China, aiming for their evaluation to guide ports and countries, particularly in Europe, towards forming the right ‘port alliances’ that could transform the BRI into an efficient global transportation network [11,12]. Other scholars have investigated the dynamic relationship between CBEC and logistics co-development strategies within the context of SMEs in China, focusing on factors like scale, quality, potential, and infrastructure to provide a nuanced understanding of the dynamic interplay [13]. Similarly, Han, et al. [14] conceptualized the co-evolution of China’s CBEC industry and its institutional environment, highlighting the dynamic interactions between industrial and state actors and their implications for regional development through CBEC pilot zones. These findings are valuable references for constructing and developing China’s Belt and Road Initiative [15].

Nowadays, with the fast-paced growth of its economy and substantial market potential, China has ranked as the world’s second-largest economy since 2010 [16]. Moreover, now, China has become one of the largest markets for CBEC, referred to as Haitao in China [17]. China’s overseas shopping platforms include Koala, Tmall International, JD International, and others. They all fulfill orders mainly in the bonded warehouse [18]. According to data from the 2023 China Cross border E-commerce Market Data Report, the scale of the domestic, CBEC market reached CNY 16.85 trillion in 2023, an increase of 7.32% year-on-year from CNY 15.7 trillion in 2022. Currently, CBEC has become a new driving force in global trade [19]. With more than 1 billion internet users, China holds the title of the world’s largest online retail market, experiencing remarkably rapid growth in CBEC. In 2023, China’s CBEC imports and exports reached RMB 2.38 trillion, a 15.6% increase. Of this, exports accounted for RMB 1.83 trillion, growing by 19.6%, while imports reached RMB 548.3 billion, a growth of 3.9%. The number of consumers participating in CBEC imports has increased annually, reaching 163 million in 2023. The Chinese economy has played an essential role in supporting and promoting cross-border logistics [20].

Since CBEC is just emerging, the previous literature on CBEC has mainly been about CBEC in small and medium-sized enterprises and CBEC platform selection [21]. Some authors have conducted a literature review on the research status of CBEC logistics in China [22]. Han and Lee [23] used the gravity model to highlight various factors influencing China’s CBEC export trade, including trade openness, distance, and internet usage in importing countries. According to customers’ needs, some authors analyzed the relationship between buyers’ willingness and CBEC [24,25]; customers prioritizing high-quality products are more likely to purchase from CBEC platforms that ensure product authenticity and quality. Similarly, fast delivery options and reliable customer service enhance customer satisfaction and trust, leading to increased willingness to buy from CBEC channels [26]. With the increasing demand of customers for cross-border logistics services, effective logistics services have become an essential issue for enterprise performance [27]. To improve the cross-border logistics problems faced by customers, some authors propose to utilize advanced information technologies (cloud computing, big data, etc.) [10,28,29], which can provide real-time information to align customers with the entire supply chain to improve logistics services [3].

Moreover, recent studies highlight the significant role of digital trade (DT) in improving carbon emissions’ efficiency (CEE) through mechanisms such as green technology innovation, industry clustering, and energy mix optimization [30,31]. He, et al. [32] discuss constructing and implementing CBEC supply chains under green and low-carbon initiatives, emphasizing the importance of data-driven intelligence, interoperable information collaboration, and sustainable supply chain management. In addition to this, some authors argue that logistics outsourcing can significantly improve logistics services by leveraging the expertise of third-party logistics (3PL) providers [33]. 3PL refers to a company with significant assets that offers logistics-related services to other businesses, including transportation, warehousing, inventory management, order management, information integration, and value-added services. It can also be a professional logistics company that provides comprehensive services in collaboration with relevant logistics service providers [34]. In the circular economy era, as the government and consumer awareness of environmental protection increases, businesses are placing more emphasis on reverse logistics (RL). However, due to resource and technological constraints, most manufacturing companies outsource activities to specialized third-party logistics providers [35,36]. In outsourcing reverse logistics, selecting the optimal third-party logistics partner is crucial, as it not only enhances the economic profitability of enterprises, but also promotes their long-term sustainable development.

However, existing research on China’s CBEC frequently omits a thorough examination of the role of 3PL providers. While many studies highlight the benefits of 3PL services and advocate their adoption in international trade logistics, they often fail to provide detailed insights into how these services integrate within the current logistics frameworks. Moreover, there is a notable absence of studies addressing the potential risks associated with 3PL services in China’s CBEC. It is also essential to recognize that the international environment unavoidably influences CBEC and its associated third-party logistics operations [37]. Under the influence of international events such as the COVID-19 pandemic, the Russia–Ukraine conflict, and the European energy crisis, the international situation is becoming increasingly complex, which will undoubtedly add more uncertainties to CBEC and the corresponding third-party logistics industry [38]. In this context, it is interesting to examine the CBEC risk in China from the perspective of overseas 3PL providers, considering the evolution, functions, and roles of 3PL providers in international trade and the risks they face in China’s two major cross-border models.

The primary objective of this paper is to investigate the potential challenges faced by overseas 3PL services in supporting CBEC logistics with China. By enhancing the effectiveness and efficiency of these logistics services, the overall operations involved in trade with China can be significantly improved. In the context of the numerous challenges facing the global supply chain, studying the potential obstacles in 3PL services holds significant importance for sustainable development. Improved logistics and supply chain management can reduce logistics costs and enhance the economic resilience of enterprises, enabling them to better respond to market fluctuations and external shocks, thereby achieving sustainable economic development. The objective is to get insights into the status by mapping and investigating the relevant journals and materials, especially when addressing the lack of China’s sustainable CBEC logistics management that the 3PL service can cover. We conducted a systematic literature review to identify potential risks to achieve this. We used a case study of the ZongTeng Group, a leading CBEC logistics company in China, to validate these risks. Data were collected through interviews with senior operations personnel and secondary sources, then analyzed to confirm the identified risks and provide practical insights for enhancing logistics management in China’s sustainable CBEC.

Therefore, through a systematic literature review, this paper examines the risks in service contracts with China’s sustainable cross-border commerce by 3PL. The research questions are as follows:

RQ1: What is the current collaboration service between 3PL providers and China’s sustainable CBEC?

RQ2: What are the potential risks of overseas 3PL providers’ service involvement in China’s sustainable CBEC?

The existing literature primarily views 3PL as a suitable solution for sustainable CBEC logistics in China, highlighting its competitive advantages for operations [20,22,39]. Few studies have discussed all the risks associated with China’s sustainable CBEC. This study addresses this gap by conducting a systematic literature review and case study to explore how 3PL supports sustainable CBEC in China based on import logistics modes and assesses the potential risks of each 3PL service. Our research contributes to developing China’s CBEC logistics and 3PL services, promoting supply chain resilience and economic sustainability. This study also opens new academic research directions for improving overseas 3PL services supporting logistics management in China’s sustainable CBEC. Identifying and analyzing these risks provides a theoretical foundation and practical guidance for achieving a more resilient and sustainable CBEC supply chain.

The remainder of this paper is structured as follows. Section 2 will introduce a literature review on the CBEC and 3PL roles in China’s sustainable CBEC logistics mode risks. Section 3 outlines the research methods. Section 4 determines the results of the analysis. Section 5 discusses the findings of this article. Section 6 points out the contribution and limitations of the research.

2. Literature Review

2.1. 3PL and CBEC Logistics

With the progress of the Belt and Road Initiative, CBEC has emerged as a significant focus of academic research [12]. Some authors have included CBEC in their study [29,40,41], and others have explored CBEC logistics and the development of CBEC among small and medium-sized enterprises [42,43]. This creates opportunities for foreign companies to trade internationally and promotes the rapid growth of China’s CBEC. For example, from 2016 to the first half of 2019, NetEase Koala’s market share increased from 21.4% to 27.7%, ranking first among mainstream cross-border imported e-commerce (as shown in Figure 1). Currently, CBEC services have become a hot topic. Lusch and Nambisan [44] first proposed three basic frameworks for service innovation, and Ren, et al. [45] proposed a third-party forwarding logistics service in response to the uncertainty of customer demand. Therefore, the literature on CBEC is still emerging. We classified the research on the CBEC according to the topic, author, and research findings (as shown in

Table 1. Review of research on CBEC.

Author	Research Findings	Topic
Gomez-Herrera, Martens and Turlea [40] Rangel, et al. [46] Kawa and Zdrenka [47] Rahman, et al. [48] Van Asch, Dewulf, Kupfer, Cárdenas and Van de Voorde [42] Abdulkarem and Hou [49] Du, et al. [50] Zhang, et al. [51] Ma, et al. [52] Han, et al. [53] Han and Lee [23]	The findings indicate that debtors and lack of capital can affect logistics.	Factors affecting CBEC logistics
	The findings suggested that distance and language affect the cost of CBEC trade in the EU market.
	This article proposed a concept of integrator, which can reduce the impact of delivery costs on CBEC.
	The challenges faced by multinational 3PL in China are mainly guanxi, national regulations, price pressure, and transportation costs.
	Taking the airport as an example, IT can realize data exchange and promote the development of the CBEC market. The research found that the organizational context (company size, executive support, workforce, level of decentralization, and degree of formalization) significantly influences the adoption of CBEC at all four levels in Chinese SMEs. Distance and space impact CBEC differently due to the advent of the Internet. The findings reveal that the enforcement of CBEC policies has markedly boosted import value, prices, and quantities growth. The institutional quality of the destination country has a more significant impact on CBEC exports than traditional exports. Analyzing the influence of CBEC factors, including e-taxation, e-trade policy, distance, GDP, international restrictions, anti-dumping, and countervailing duties, on the export of goods and services. China’s CBEC exports are significantly influenced by trade openness, trade distance, consumption gap, and the number of Internet users. In contrast, trade frictions and the number of tourists have no significant impact.
Choy, et al. [54] Lusch and Nambisan [44] Liu and Hong [55] Yu, et al. [56] Chu, Feng and Lai [39] Elia, Giuffrida, Mariani and Bresciani [7] Tang and Li [57] Yang, Chen and Chen [19] Barata, et al. [58] Ma, et al. [59] Chen, et al. [60]	The findings indicate that the implementation of IT can significantly enhance the service standards of logistics companies.	Service innovation and IT tools support CBEC logistics
	The research put forward three frameworks of service innovation and concluded that IT can promote the development of service innovation in the direction of digitalization.
	Through case analysis and comparison, it is found that efficient and advanced logistics systems, trust, and cooperation have a positive effect on China’s overseas shopping market.
	The study concluded that utilizing the Internet of Things, big data analysis, and cloud computing can significantly boost the efficiency of CBEC logistics.
	The findings indicate that political and commercial relations have supported the logistics service innovation of Chinese 3PL providers. This article found that despite resource constraints, SMEs do not have a weaker propensity for digital export, and firms of all sizes can significantly enhance their digital export capabilities by leveraging digital technologies and employing an e-commerce manager. The study revealed that consumers are affected by factors such as translation proficiency, service excellence, technological advancements, product support, and pricing strategies. The performance of enterprises is positively and significantly impacted by the service capabilities of digital platforms and the digital transformation abilities of CBEC companies. This article identifies factors affecting e-commerce, artificial intelligence (AI), and agile methods in SMEs to boost their digital transformation and competitiveness. This research investigates the positive impact of intelligent manufacturing on CBEC export diversification using data from China’s top cross-border logistics enterprises. This research constructs an AI framework to analyze the impact of product descriptions on sales forecasting, demonstrating that key phrases in product descriptions significantly improve forecasting accuracy and influence consumer choice.
Gessner and Snodgrass [61] Tolstoy, et al. [62] Niu, et al. [63] Shi, et al. [64] Zha, et al. [65] Zhang, et al. [66] Han, et al. [67] Zhang, et al. [68] Li and Li [69] Li, Zheng, Zhao and Liu [30]	The study designed two program models to promote CBEC and found that these programs can help small and medium-sized enterprises overcome barriers to CBEC transactions.	The application of CBEC in enterprises
	The study clarified the driving factors for small and medium retail enterprises to develop CBEC in foreign markets. This study highlights the importance of strategic waiting for disruption information and underscores the need to consider both horizontal channel coordination and vertical interaction within supply chains. The study devised a game-theoretical framework to analyze how an international brand can strategically enter overseas markets, factoring in the roles of purchasing agents and multinational tax regulations. Develop a game model to investigate the platform’s information-sharing strategy and the overseas supplier’s choice of logistics mode. This article explores the importance and methods for CBEC enterprises to achieve an ideal balance between supply chain resilience and vulnerability using a model integrating fuzzy AHP and TOPSIS methods. The results suggest that increasing the free shipping threshold within a specific range can boost a company’s average order value and gross profit margin while lowering corporate costs. The article analyzes how overseas suppliers choose logistics modes when entering new markets via CBEC platforms, focusing on the impact of information sharing and competition with domestic suppliers. This research investigates the selection of CBEC return logistics models based on estimated return rates, comparing direct mail, in situ destruction, and insurance models to help retailers optimize their ordering strategies. This paper examines how digital trade in China’s CBEC pilot zones improves urban carbon emissions’ efficiency through green technology innovation, industry clustering, and energy mix optimization.
Zhu, et al. [70] Mou, Cohen, Dou and Zhang [25] Rosillo-Díaz, et al. [71] Chen and Yang [72] Bao, et al. [73] Jian, et al. [74] Do, et al. [75] Wen, et al. [76]	Analysis shows that the factors that affect international buyers’ purchases on China’s CBEC platforms are mainly the total value of the product and the uncertainty of various risks.	Consumer buying intention and CBEC platform
	This research has demonstrated that ongoing engagement, contextual participation, and trust in CBEC platforms positively influence consumers’ purchase intentions.
	The research results indicate that trust, brand recognition, and service quality of B2B cross-border platforms positively influence consumers’ purchase intentions.
	The research discovered that network structural embeddedness mediates the connection between customer experience and consumer purchase intention in CBEC. The research created a contextual model for evaluating consumer product assessments and purchase intentions, integrating the impact of products with different levels of consumer involvement. Consumers’ trust, the ease of use of the platform, and the quality of logistics services have a strong positive effect on their intention to make purchases. The findings revealed that CBEC strengthens the relationship between customer satisfaction and functional service quality while weakening the relationship between customer satisfaction and both technical service quality and price quality. The research determined that the credibility of internet celebrity hosts significantly impacts consumer buying tendencies on cross-border live-streaming e-commerce platforms.
Zúñiga and Martínez [77] Rahman, Ahsan, Yang and Odgers [48] Ren, Choi, Lee and Lin [45] Ji, et al. [78] Qi, Qin and Lin [13] Du [79] Han, Wood, Coe and Alexander [14]	Case analysis shows that reliable third-party logistics providers can reduce the risk to the customer’s supply chain.	3PL and CBEC collaboration
	The results show that the most essential obstacles faced by multinational third-party logistics are relationships, government regulations and price pressures, and transportation costs.
	This research proposed an optimal decision-making method S2SCL that can make judgments on logistics service capabilities and demand uncertainty. The study examines a secondary supply chain comprising a CBEC company and a 3PL provider. The research explores how CBEC and logistics strategies impact competitive advantages in Chinese SMEs, providing practical cost-reduction insights. The study proposes a mechanism for using cross-network effects to enhance cooperation between CBEC platforms and sellers, analyzed through a two-stage evolutionary game model. The paper explores the co-evolution of China’s import CBEC industry and institutions from 2012 to 2022, highlighting the role of platform firms in regional development and regulatory influence.

).

Several studies have enumerated factors affecting CBEC. For instance, Morgan and Inks [80] introduced ICT, a monitoring technology tool that enables customers to go along with the entire supply chain by providing accurate time information. Valarezo, et al. [81] targeted individual users in Spain and proved that IT and user information positively impact CBEC. Furthermore, several scholars have highlighted the factors that hinder CBEC, such as supply chain information transparency, a long delivery distance, language differences, and national regulations [21,23,40,48,82,83].

Although most research on CBEC has concentrated on the logistics of CBEC [42,47,48,56,84], 3PLs’ service contracts in the CBEC logistics industry have been gaining increasing interest [26,39,45,78]. One reason for this emerging research trend is the external pressure on CBEC, including rising customer demands, growing competition, and changes in government policies [56]. Another explanation can be the emergence of logistics outsourcing, prompting 3PL to explain the scope of its services [85]. The current situation is that 3PL is also looking for opportunities to provide value-added services while providing essential services.

Yeung, et al. [86] conducted a study on 150 exporters cooperating with 3PL in Hong Kong and the Pearl River, China, and proved that 3PL services improve the performance of exporters. The 3PL service could cover all logistics functions within a complete supply chain. The 3PL service can also optimize the logistics flow to reduce the burden of enterprises, improve the customer experience, and create a competitive advantage [56,87].

From this, we can see that if CBEC and 3PL can be fully combined, and 3PL can solve the problems of CBEC, CBEC can provide more value-added services for 3PL and then both industries will achieve great development.

2.2. 3PL and China’s Sustainable CBEC Logistics

From the public’s perspective, outsourcing logistics activities began gaining attention and appeared in the first academic journal in the late 1980s [88]. This shows that 3PL providers will play a leading role in making correct decisions in logistics management. Third-party logistics can provide a simplified logistics process and handle complex operations such as VMI arrangements to bring more effectiveness to the business. It can also solve international warehousing problems, reverse logistics, and provide tracking information through its internet capabilities in the supply chain [35,89].

In recent years, 3PL has become increasingly closely connected to China’s sustainable cross-border logistics. For example, with the development of the 21st-century maritime Silk Road, many scholars have begun to study the safety analysis of the channels/canals along it [90].

There are three main import logistics modes for CBEC in China for overseas export-oriented companies: direct mail, goods collection, and bonded warehouse modes. Compared with General Trade, the E-commerce platform offers more import options. This article mainly analyzes two modes: goods collection and bonded warehouse. On the one hand, goods collection is when overseas suppliers pack the parcel by themselves and send it to the overseas 3PL provider’s warehouse for temporary storage to wait to be dispatched in batch size. On the other hand, the bonded warehouse is where overseas 3PL service providers notify bonded warehouses to pick up and pack orders. These orders will be sent to customers by local express after customs procedures. Based on the study of logistics services by Delfmann, et al. [91], the functions of 3PL services in these two modes are presented in

Table 2. 3PL functions in goods collection and bonded warehouse mode.

Mode	Roles	Function
Goods Collection	Warehousing	To make the operations efficient and minimize the cost [47], receiving overseas products and packing the parcel to the warehouse for temporary storage to wait to be dispatched in a batch size [91].
	Distributing	Providing picking and packing, labeling, and marking services [92].
	Forwarding	Providing safe and efficient transportation [93]; leading the client, an e-commerce enterprise, to prepare the documents used for customs clearance [47].
	Contracting with mainland logistics	Building relationships with mainland logistics partners who are responsible for domestic issues such as customs clearance, storage, and last-mile delivery [91].
Bonded Warehouse	Warehousing	Managing theoretical stock for each client remotely and finding any stock difference with data provided by the bonded warehouse.
	Distributing	Ordering processing, receiving orders from an e-commerce platform, and notifying bonded warehouses to pick and pack orders.
	Forwarding	Arranging international air freight and sea freight to deliver the cargo that e-commerce enterprises require; taking the role of overseas customs clearance and preparing the documentation for the first customs clearance in China for all products in the shipment.
	Contracting with mainland logistics	Compared with a suitable collections mode, a bonded warehouse takes a lot of jobs that should be carried out by overseas logistics providers [91].

.

Due to the numerous risks in CBEC logistics in China, some authors have suggested that 3PL services could offer a suitable solution by providing better support for logistics management [13,45,89,94]. We have summarized the basic types of risks involved in cross-border logistics, CBEC logistics, and China’s sustainable CBEC logistics and explained these risks (as shown in the Appendix A).

According to Appendix A, we can make a risk probability prediction on the role of overseas 3PL providers in China’s CBEC logistics. As there are no 3PL services that can provide help in the international express, the analysis will only focus on goods collection and bonded warehouses. Based on the previous literature review, the summary is shown in the below diagram (as shown in

Table 3. Likelihood and explanation of China’s CBEC risks exist in 3PL roles of the goods collection mode.

Risks	Possibility	Roles	Explanation
Contracting with Unreliable Partners	M	Contracting	Domestic logistics partners are mainly responsible for customs clearance, sorting, and last-mile delivery to Chinese customs [91]. However, this only takes up a small part of the shipment, marking “M”.
Uncertainty of Quality	M	Distributing	Wrong order fulfilment might happen due to human error when picking and packing.
	H	Forwarding	International shipment would easily cause product damage and bring down the quality of delivery [47].
Uncertainty of Delivery Time and Lead Time	H	Forwarding	The estimated arrival date of shipment cannot be confirmed as the delay in transit might interrupt the shipment schedule.
	M	Contracting	The long customs clearance would delay the dispatch date.
Undeveloped Logistics Infrastructure	M	Contracting	Inadequate infrastructure normally happens in China. It is important to evaluate if the contracted mainland logistics partner can solve the problems and smoothly deliver parcels to those slow-developing areas in China [95].
Country Regulation	M	Distributing	The parcels must be packaged and labeled following the Chinese customs clearance rules.
	M	Forwarding	International shipment is compulsory under the guidance of country regulations. Otherwise, it might be returned at the entrance of the country.
	M	Contracting	The contracted partners must have sufficient knowledge of Chinese customs clearance in charge of country regulation.
Lack of Expertise	H	Distributing	Lack of expertise would make mistakes in packaging and distributing.
	M	Contracting	The contracted partner might slow down or fail the customs clearance if they do not have sufficient experience.
Culture and Language Differences	M	Contracting	Culture and language difference risks will cause miscommunication while contracting with mainland logistics partners [48].
IT Capability	M	Warehousing	Lack of IT capability would increase the difficulty in inventory management [96].
	M	Forwarding	Shipment information would make errors if the information system connected to the customs clearance is not used to make documentation.
Information Sharing	H	Forwarding	Information sharing risks lead to failure to update the status of delivery to customers promptly, etc., [97].
	M	Contracting	When information is unable to be notified to contracted logistic partners. Therefore, they will not know when shipments will arrive and will not be able to prepare for customs clearance.
High Cost	M	Forwarding	International shipments require high transportation costs through air freight and sea freight.
Uncertainty of Cost	M	Forwarding	Transportation cost is unstable due to the uncertainty of exchange rate and tax rate between countries [45].

and

Table 4. Likelihood and explanation of China’s cross border E-commerce risks existing in 3PL roles of the bonded warehouse mode.

Risks	Possibility	Roles	Explanation
Contracting with Unreliable Partner	H	Contracting	Contracting will become more important as contracting partners take on more responsibilities such as warehousing and distributing. Unreliable partners will cause a major negative impact on operations.
Uncertainty of Quality	M	Forwarding	During international shipment, it will be easy to cause damage to products [47]. Therefore, there will be a decrease in quality.
	H	Contracting	As contracting partners are responsible for distribution, unreliable partners will likely dispatch the wrong orders to the wrong locations.
Uncertainty of Delivery Time and Lead Time	M	Contracting	Domestics’ distribution channels might be unstable so they cannot ensure time efficiency when dispatching orders. Thus, the time in which customers receive these orders will be delayed.
Undeveloped Logistics Infrastructure	M	Contracting	Similar to the goods collection mode, unstable contracted partners cannot ensure orders are delivered to less developed areas.
Country Regulation	M	Forwarding	International shipments have to proceed under country regulations.
	H	Contracting	Contracting with bonded warehouses must follow country legislation, and the bonded warehouse must be qualified by the Chinese Government [98].
Lack of Expertise	M	Contracting	As a bonded warehouse takes on most of the responsibility, if the staffs lack expertise, then the bonded warehouse might not be able to operate [99]. As a result, the whole business might suffer as well.
Culture and Language Differences	H	Contracting	Cultural and language differences will lead to difficulties in communication.
IT Capability	M	Warehousing	Overseas 3PL providers should have an information system to manage bonded warehouse inventory to have real-time control.
	M	Forwarding	Cross-border shipments without IT capability cannot be completed as the accuracy of shipment information cannot be ensured [54].
	H	Contracting	The desire for IT capability in bonded warehouses will be very high because they not only look after inventory, but are also responsible for each dispatch. Also, tracking domestic delivery is needed [100].
Information Sharing Risk	M	Forwarding	Transparency of the shipment is necessary as the customer always wishes to have access to this information at all times. Otherwise, there might be a loss of control [22].
	M	Contracting	The bonded warehouse must share information that they own such as real-time inventory and domestic order tracking.
High Cost	M	Contracting	Since bonded warehouses take on most of the responsibility, they will incur high costs [99].
Uncertainty of Cost	M	Contracting	The bonded warehouse might suddenly change prices, such as by increasing storage fees. This is unpreventable because contracts usually do not cover this area. Exchange rates still need to be taken into consideration.

). “H” refers to the high possibility that this risk will exist in this role, and “M” refers to the medium possibility that this risk will exist in this role.

Outsourcing logistics activities to 3PL providers has become the mainstream environment of the current business [101]. Many studies or literature reviews have analyzed activities that usually provide outsourced activities [22,77,87,102]; among the articles mentioning the concept of 3PL services in China’s CBEC logistics, most authors consider it as a good phenomenal. The more robust the capabilities of 3PL enterprises, the higher the expected profitability of the entire supply chain [78]. Due to the emergence of 3PL providers, many organizations and companies choose to cooperate with 3PL providers to get a quick response [103,104,105]. This collaborative relationship would develop a source of competitive advantage to create firm-specific capabilities to attract more customer business [87,89].

However, there are no studies discussing the potential risks of 3PL services in China’s CBEC. As previously mentioned, in today’s increasingly complex international landscape, it is essential to enhance the identification and evaluation of potential risks for CBEC and third-party logistics. Based on the literature review, this article is the first to determine these risks from the perspective of overseas 3PL providers, but it has not been verified. This research uses a real case to validate the potential risks identified from the perspective of overseas 3PL providers, which we aim to address.

3. Research Method

Thoroughly considering the research methods suggested by Alam [106], we employed a systematic and structured methodology to investigate the potential risks faced by overseas third-party logistics services in supporting sustainable cross-border e-commerce logistics with China in our study. The flow chart of the method is shown in Figure 2.

The research methodology of this study was meticulously designed to ensure comprehensive and accurate findings. (1) Firstly, we began by conducting a systematic literature review, searching databases to identify the potential risks associated with the role of overseas 3PL suppliers in the two modes of CBEC logistics in China. (2) Next, we selected case companies based on theoretical sampling methods to ensure they represented comprehensive and insightful examples of logistics practices in China’s CBEC sector. (3) Data collection involved gathering both primary and secondary data. Primary data were obtained through personal interviews with senior managers of the company, including company directors, vice presidents, general managers, and other management personnel, providing in-depth insights into the company’s operations and challenges. Secondary data included official reports, the company’s website, and major media news articles to contextualize and validate the primary data. (4) We conducted interviews with eight senior operations managers within the company, selected for their extensive experience and deep understanding of the CBEC market. (5) Then, the collected data were analyzed to identify and validate potential risks associated with 3PL services in supporting CBEC logistics. (6) The research findings were integrated with insights from the systematic literature review. (7) Finally, the results were presented.

3.1. Literature Review

There are few literature studies related to CBEC, and the inclusion of related journals and papers is considered important to ensure that all the latest and relevant research is included. To ensure the quality of the research, according to Snyder [107] and Moher, et al. [108], the inclusion and exclusion criteria for searching the literature have been determined. Based on the two questions raised above, our review focuses on English-speaking papers published in international peer-reviewed journals. The keywords used during the search were “cross-border”, “e-commerce”, and “third-party logistics”. The databases Emerald, Springer, ScienceDirect, and Web of Science were used.

The Academic Journal Guide (AJG) 2021 ranking is a system developed by the Chartered Association of Business Schools to evaluate the quality and impact of academic journals in the field of business and management. Journals are ranked from 1 to 4 stars, with four stars representing journals of the highest quality and impact. The importance of using AJG 1–4-star journals in the literature searches lies in ensuring that the research is sourced from reputable and influential journals, thereby enhancing the credibility and reliability of the study. By focusing on these high-ranking journals, we ensure that our review incorporates the most rigorous and impactful research in the field.

Table 5. Reviewed AJG 2021 journals.

Journal Title	AJG 2021 Ranking	No. of Papers
Annals of Operations Research	3	1
Applied Economics	2	1
Asia Pacific Journal of Innovation and Entrepreneurship		1
Asia Pacific Journal of Marketing and Logistics	1	2
Business Process Management Journal	2	1
Canadian Journal of Agricultural Economics-revue Canadienne D Agroeconomic		1
Decision Support Systems	3	1
Electronic Commerce Research	2	3
Electronic Commerce Research and Applications	2	2
European Journal of Operational Research	4	2
Expert Systems with Applications	1	1
Geoforum	2	1
IEEE Access		1
IEEE Transactions on Engineering Management	3	1
Industrial Management and Data Systems	2	1
Industrial Marketing Management	3	2
Information Economics and Policy	2	1
International Journal of Information Management	2	3
International Journal of Logistics Research and Applications	1	3
International Journal of Operations & Production Management	4	1
International Journal of Physical Distribution and Logistics Management	2	2
International Journal of Production Economics	3	2
International Journal of Production Research	3	3
International Journal of Shipping and Transport Logistics	1	3
International Review of Economics and Finance	2	1
International Small Business Journal-Researching Entrepreneurship	3	1
Internet Research	3	2
Journal of Ambient Intelligence and Humanized Computing		1
Journal of Business Research	3	4
Journal of Electronic Commerce Research	1	1
Journal of Enterprise Information Management	2	2
Journal of Global Information Management	2	3
Journal of International Trade and Economic Development	1	1
Journal of Operations Management	4 *	1
Journal of Purchasing and Supply Management	3	1
Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services	2	3
Journal of the Knowledge Economy	1	1
Journal of the Operational Research Society	3	1
Journal of Theoretical and Applied Electronic Commerce Research	1	4
Journal of World Business	4	1
Kybernetes	1	1
Maritime Economics and Logistics	1	1
MIS Quarterly		1
Mobile Information Systems		1
Omega-International Journal of Management Science		1
Production and Operations Management	4	1
Research in Transportation Business and Management		3
SAGE Publications		1
Scientific Journal of Logistics		1
Sustainability		4
Sustainable Production and Consumption		1
Technological Forecasting and Social Change	3	2
Telecommunications Policy	1	1
Transportation Research Part E-Logistics and Transportation Review		9
Water		1

lists the AJG 2021 ranking of each visited journal.

3.2. Thematic Analysis

Figure 3 presents a relationship between the amount of the literature in this study and the publication time each year. It shows that the number of research on CBEC and 3PL has increased. The initial growth was reflected in China’s proposal of the “One Belt and One Road” in 2013. The largest increase was in 2019. There are two main reasons. One is the development of Internet technology; the substantial increase in online shopping consumer groups has stimulated the development of CBEC. In addition, the emergence of the Sino–U.S. trade war in 2018 has had a great impact on CBEC, attracting the attention of academics and people from all walks of life.

After conducting a systematic literature review, we found that some journals just mentioned that 3PL might be a solution to assist in China’s CBEC logistics and talked about the reasons why they are recommending it. However, a significant gap in the literature is the lack of a clear explanation of how 3PL services can be effectively integrated into the current CBEC logistics model in China in practical scenarios. Apart from this, no journals analyze the potential risks of services provided by overseas 3PL providers in China’s CBEC.

3.3. Case Study

Applying our case study selection criteria, we selected the case of ZongTeng from the multiple case study provided by Wang, Jia, Schoenherr, Gong and Chen [29]. Established in 2007, the ZongTeng Group has grown over 12 years into a leading international logistics company specializing in CBEC logistics and overseas warehousing. With more than 3000 employees, including over 1500 stationed overseas, ZongTeng operates globally. The company focuses on CBEC logistics, managing overseas warehouses, Yuntu loading and unloading logistics, and direct shipments from China to international destinations through various distribution platforms. Recognized as an exemplary model in the industry, the ZongTeng Group was selected as one of the first outstanding overseas warehouse practice cases, highlighting its innovative development in overseas warehouse management. It serves as a representative and referenceable case in the field. This case has been regarded as a cross-border case, and ZongTeng has been included in the Tsinghua School of Economics and Management’s case database. The company’s choice is based on theoretical sampling methods, ensuring it represents a comprehensive and insightful example of logistics practices in China’s CBEC sector. ZongTeng is one of China’s leading CBEC companies, renowned for its innovative logistics models, which include bonded warehouse construction, the collection of goods, and direct mail. As a market leader and industry pioneer, ZongTeng’s practices are highly representative of the broader trends and challenges in China’s CBEC logistics. This selection ensures that the case study provides relevant and valuable insights, making it a robust example for understanding the logistics strategies employed by significant players in the sector and facilitating the generalization of findings to a broader context within China.

According to Yin [109], a single case study design is acceptable when the research represents a typical case. A single case study can provide a powerful tool to gain insight into all potential risks of overseas 3PL in different CBEC logistics modes. Since most case studies are inductive, this study starts with interviews, observations, and research reports, aiming to capture diverse perspectives and insights on the subject. A compelling motivation for implementing the case study is to confirm the potential risks faced by overseas 3PLs in China’s CBEC logistics mode based on the literature review, which involved comparing our findings with the existing literature to validate and contextualize our results.

3.4. Data Collection

Instead of projecting a single case company, this study mainly summarizes public interviews with eight individuals holding senior operations roles. This research compiled both primary and secondary data concerning the ZongTeng Group. Secondary sources included official reports, the company’s website, and major media news articles. Primary data were primarily obtained through personal interviews with senior managers of the company. Interviewees had a certain understanding of China’s CBEC market and were familiar with the logistics mode of overseas warehouses. The interviewees included the company’s group directors, vice presidents, general managers, other management personnel, and some experts, all of whom have substantial experience in the Chinese CBEC market. The two experts who participated in the interviews each have over 20 years of experience in the field of logistics and CBEC. One expert has been in their current role for ten years, while the other has held their position for eight years. Their extensive experience and deep understanding of the industry provided valuable insights into this study.

Table 6. Basic information and the interview questions of the case study data.

Number of Question	Interview Question	Role of Interviewee
1	What are the current problems and obstacles encountered by ZongTeng, the group in the practice of CBEC? How should these problems be solved?	Chairman
2	What are the advantages and disadvantages of ZongTeng Group’s self-built overseas warehouses?	Co-founder of ZongTeng
3	How about the current bonded warehouse resources of ZongTeng Group? Is there any change in the distribution model?	Vice-president
4	Regarding the main logistics mode of the ZongTeng Group, what potential risks does overseas 3PL face in its role? What do you think?	Director
5	Why is an overseas warehouse important to CBEC? How do you explain the current overseas warehouse operation of the ZongTeng Group?	Management manager
6	Are there any factors or pressures that may affect the development of CBEC? Can you introduce it in detail?	Expert
7	Are there any uncontrollable risks when the ZongTeng Group chooses overseas 3PL?	Management manager
8	To continue the healthy and stable development of cross-border e-commerce, what suggestions do you have?	Expert

provides a list of the research questions posed during the interviews.

This paper combines case studies and interviews to verify the results obtained from the literature review. Therefore, case study data analyses includes inspection, classification, tabulation, and testing and involves restructuring experience to conclude. This article drew from multiple data sources, including public interviews with the company’s senior managers and resources such as official public reports and news. These multiple data sources make triangulation possible to enhance the reliability of this research [5].

4. Research Findings

4.1. The Possibility of Overseas 3PL Providers’ Logistics Risks in CBEC in China

Our research team approached a New Zealand company that has established sustainable CBEC services in China for more than five years. The company cooperates with well-known New Zealand companies and assists them in shipping large quantities of goods to China every year. In the initial stage of data collection, our research team conducted informal interviews with the company’s transportation manager and logistics manager for about one hour. They have participated in China for many years, handled multiple cases, and have extensive work experience. By engaging in detailed discussions with two senior managers, we sought to comprehend logistics activities, identify challenges, and verify the risk possibilities highlighted in the literature review. They pointed to the following risks in China’s sustainable CBEC environment.

They are very glad to provide me with very useful suggestions and agree that potential risks are considered for sustainable operations and business development. We agreed on most of the points that were summarized in the literature review. However, we have two suggestions. For goods collection, there are medium risks for the uncertainty of cost in the contracting. For bonded warehouses, cultural and language differences could be a risk for distribution.

In the interview, the manager emphasized the uncertainty of quality risks. A bonded warehouse needs to pay attention to expiry dates as customers could be very sensitive to this, but a bonded warehouse might still dispatch these expiring goods and the overseas 3PL providers cannot be in control. Real-time shipments will not bring products that are expired, seasoned, or have other issues [110]. Next, we verify these risks through case analyses.

4.2. Case Analysis

Considering China’s actual conditions, the situation of sustainable CBEC logistics would be more complex and challenging [57]. Due to the nature of developing countries as well as China’s unique cultural characteristics, the current capabilities of Chinese logistics are not ready to catch up with the sudden increase in demand from the domestic and global market caused by the rapid growth of E-commerce. To promote sustainable development in this sector, it is essential to address these challenges through improved logistics infrastructure and practices. We will verify the risk probability identified above in the two modes of CBEC logistics for overseas 3PL providers in the case study.

4.2.1. Goods Collection Mode

The above-identified role of overseas 3PL in the risk probability level of the goods collection mode has been confirmed in the case study. One of the interviewed Chairman said that the chain of sustainable CBEC logistics is particularly long and each node needs to be built a lot. The problems are exposed to these nodes in the work process, including some sorting warehouses, trunk transportation, customs clearance capabilities, and landing distribution capabilities. Each link should be supplemented and improved. He also added that we mainly focus on warehousing and logistics, with information technology as the core, forming a service ecological chain of ‘four flows in one,’ including logistics, information flow, business flow, and capital flow.

Along the lines of Gomez-Herrera, Martens and Turlea [40], we argue that the uncertainty of cost will be reflected in the contract due to the development of the industry and the regulations. “The Blue Book” highlighted that CBEC logistics, a crucial part of the industry chain, constitutes about 20–30% of the transaction cost in CBEC. One Co-founder of ZongTeng confirmed this and described it from sellers as follows.

The biggest obstacle faced by overseas warehouse customers is the financial pressure caused by large-scale stockings. Most of the overseas warehouse stockings must be carried out by sea, and the shipping cycle must be 20 to 30 days. The low turnover pressure brought by a large amount of stocking is not something that all big sellers can bear indefinitely.

Since the Sino–U.S. trade war, there have been news reports that the regulatory environment, platform rules, taxes, and tariffs have undergone major changes related to China’s CBEC in 2018.

The biggest advantage of self-built overseas warehouses is flexibility. The company can control the operation and management of the system by itself; however, the risks and costs of self-built overseas warehouses will also be higher. The customs, legal, and tax issues involved in overseas warehouses are more cumbersome. In addition, if the volume is small and there is no scale advantage, it is difficult to get a good local delivery price. Therefore, the director of the ZongTeng Group said frankly:

In the early stage of Yuntu Logistics, they cooperated with some overseas freight forwarding companies in Europe to develop dedicated line services, but many times, they found that the services of foreigners are actually difficult to meet some actual needs in the Chinese market, and foreign freight forwarding companies Turn around again, resulting in higher costs. The charges for third-party warehousing are now very cheap, the profit margins are decreasing, and the advantages of self-built overseas warehouses have diminished.

4.2.2. Bonded Warehouse Mode

Our results reveal an interesting point: forwarding and contracting are the most likely occurrences of overseas 3PL roles in China’s sustainable CBEC logistics risks. One explanation is that CBEC is a cooperation between companies in different countries, and the difference in culture and language greatly limits the normal communication and understanding between the two parties. As suggested by previous research, differences in culture and language pose great risks or obstacles to CBEC [82,111,112] as the bonded warehouse team does most of the physical work from the orders and information flowing to them. It is essential to maintain good communication and teamwork in daily operations. The vice president of the ZongTeng Group commented:

Localized operations should be carried out in a refined manner, such as self-built transshipment warehouses overseas, looking for local professional service providers, improving line control, improving cost control capabilities, and establishing their own barriers to competition. However, because local personnel are unwilling to work overtime on Saturdays and Sundays, the top leaders of overseas companies are still Chinese, which can reduce communication costs and reduce the risk of culture and language differences through this operation.

The free trade model also refers to bonded warehouses. This case pointed out in the 2019 financial report that the company also faces macro policy risks: “Macro-control policies and local economic development and policy risks, such as the state’s financial and fiscal policies, and the degree of implementation of local governments.” Due to the ongoing trade tensions between China and the United States, there is a lot of uncertainty about CBEC. The vice president of the ZongTeng Group said:

The Sino-US trade war suppressed China from free trade. The policy risks of customs in various countries, especially for cross-border business to customer (B2C) package import clearance policies, once tightened, the growth of dedicated lines will be relatively affected. The cost of circulation must rise.

Other management managers said in an interview, “With the expansion of innovative businesses such as retail centralized procurement, warehousing and logistics, and overseas expansion, the company might encounter a shortage of professional and versatile talent.”

The biggest problem with overseas warehouses is managing employees of different cultures. The director of the ZongTeng Group said that ZongTeng currently has more than 300 overseas warehouse personnel, and a single warehouse team is about 40–50. However, due to the long distance and large cultural differences, management has become the biggest problem. Foreign teams and domestic teams must adopt fully localized management methods and management ideas. Foreign employees pay more attention to quality of life and talk more directly about money and benefits. The situation was explained by experts.

With the development of China’s multilateral trade, the need for the “localization” of business services has become increasingly important. As CBEC is different from traditional e-commerce, it covers a wider range of professional knowledge, is proficient in the non-universal languages of the countries involved in CBEC (especially the minor languages of ASEAN countries), and is familiar with CBEC. The demand for comprehensive talents with platforms and basic foreign trade knowledge is even more urgent.

Some experts pointed out that the ultimate goal of sustainable CBEC development is to promote the efficiency of global economic operations by improving the efficiency of international trade. Therefore, the healthy development of CBEC needs to adapt to the business model of international trade, including trade facilitation conditions, tax collection, and management principles, especially the mutual recognition of product quality and safety standards. The experts also explained:

In addition to facing the dilemma of homogenization of products with direct delivery sellers, the legal environment in Europe and the United States is relatively mature and standardized, and the products of seller friends need to meet local certification requirements, such as CE certification in the European Union, FDA/UL/FCC in the United States, etc. Standard requirements, otherwise, it is easy to have problems with customs clearance.

In summary, three potential risks mentioned in the literature review emerged in the case. There are medium risks for cost uncertainty in the contracting; cultural and language differences could be a risk for distributing, and the uncertainty of quality risks. Running costs might increase because E-commerce is developing quite fast and industrial standards keep updating; therefore, the uncertainty of cost will be reflected in the contract due to the development of the industry and the regulations. As bonded warehouses, cultural and language differences could be a risk for distribution, as it is essential to maintain good communication and teamwork in daily operations. The bonded warehouse team does most of the physical work from the orders and information flowing to them. All of these require a good understanding of the culture and language. Of course, overseas warehouse products have no turning back, and we need to focus on product after-sales response plans; otherwise, it will be difficult to deal with large-scale after-sales product processing problems.

5. Discussion

The results of this case analysis from the perspective of Chinese 3PL providers verify the risk possibilities of overseas 3PL roles determined by the literature review and overseas 3PL providers in the two modes of China’s sustainable CBEC logistics and provide some information on improving overseas 3PL insights into the competitiveness of providers. Why is China’s foreign terminal able to provide third-party services for its certified buyers and merchants? This is because the foreign terminal builds its official logistics, Beihai International Express, which can collect goods from overseas warehouses and overseas air freights and complete domestic customs clearance after entering the country. Therefore, the consolidation and direct mail model has higher requirements for overseas consolidation warehouses, customs clearance capabilities, and diversified trunk transportation. We believe that after 2021, the proportion of overseas warehouses will definitely increase, so the importance of overseas warehouses will increase, and the cooperation with overseas 3PL providers will also increase.

5.1. The Advantages and Disadvantages of the Two Modes

Concerning RQ1, our findings indicate that the current collaboration mode between overseas 3PL providers and sustainable CBEC logistics is mainly the goods collection mode and bonded warehouse mode; it also confirms previous research [48,113]. Selecting an appropriate cross-border logistics model is crucial for CBEC companies to attain sustainable development [114]. The case studies’ analysis shows that the activities of overseas 3PL providers in the goods collection mode and the bonded warehouse mode are quite different.

Compared with the EMS (Express Mail Service), the cost of consolidated shipment is relevantly lower and more efficient for the collection of goods. The consolidation direct mail model means that suppliers will deliver overseas commodities to overseas warehouses after consumers purchase overseas commodities. After the parcels, they will be shipped by international trans-shipment, domestic customs clearance, and delivery to consumers. However, the dispersion of storage locations and orders will increase storage costs and affect the overall inventory capital share. Compared with the goods collection mode, bonded warehouses are more efficient. It can fully use the advantages of free trade zones or bonded areas to guarantee the rapid operation of sustainable CBEC logistics. However, government policies heavily influence bonded warehouses and the storage cost is higher than that of goods in the collection mode. For example, Yan and Wang [115] investigated the status of the Shanghai Free Trade Zone and concluded that the free trade zone is subject to a series of rules of the Chinese central government. Despite this, Xu, Gui, Zhang and Wei [18] pointed out that the bonded warehouse mode is relatively popular now and has become the mainstream mode of CBEC.

5.2. The Risk Possibility of Overseas 3PL’s Two Modes of CBEC in China

Regarding RQ2, the results of the literature review indicate that some studies have analyzed the normal activities of 3PL providers [22,77,87,102]. Contracting mainland logistic partners will be responsible for the remaining customs clearance jobs [116]. The case study analysis shows that overseas 3PL roles have some potential risks in both modes, as highlighted in prior research [71,84,97].

The survey results reveal that the partnership between overseas 3PL services and China’s sustainable CBEC logistics is still evolving. This is consistent with the previous literature on China’s CBEC logistics, indicating that there are still many risks in applying 3PL services to China’s sustainable CBEC logistics [22,84,113]. In contrast to previous studies on China’s CBEC, our findings reveal that there has been no discussion of the risks from the viewpoint of overseas 3PL providers, nor has there been validation through case studies in the Chinese market. For instance, Gunasekaran and Ngai [117] discussed a case study of a small 3PL logistics company in Hong Kong and highlighted the importance of strategic alliances and the regional culture of cooperation. Although our results show that 3PL providers have 11 risks in China’s sustainable CBEC logistics and determine the possibility of these risks, there is still a lack of empirical analysis.

5.3. Implications for Theory and Practice

This research is significant to 3PL services and China’s sustainable CBEC logistics. It shows that China’s sustainable CBEC logistics system could be better, and there are still many potential risks. Addressing these risks is essential to developing a resilient and efficient logistics system. Effective risk management in 3PL services can enhance operational efficiency, reduce waste, and lower costs, contributing to a more sustainable supply chain.

Theoretically, the following meanings are produced. First, because no previous study on the risk of China’s sustainable CBEC logistics conducted a systematic analysis to determine the risk category, the research used the literature review method to determine the risk category and fill this gap. This is also the first comprehensive overview of potential risks in China’s sustainable CBEC logistics.

Secondly, from the perspective of 3PL providers, no previous study has examined how 3PL services are applied to China’s sustainable CBEC logistics model, only the benefits of doing so. These studies based on this article can provide new references and enlightenments for scholars to understand further the collaboration methods of 3PL services and China’s sustainable CBEC.

Third, this research further contributed to China’s sustainable CBEC logistics from the perspective of overseas 3PL providers. The literature helps us understand the potential risks of overseas 3PL providers participating in the two logistics modes of China’s sustainable CBEC. These risks are dispersed in all stages of the cross-border logistics process, from project warehousing and order generation to product mailing and delivery procedures. However, there is currently no research and analysis of these risks.

Fourth, this research reveals the potential of 3PL services in promoting the sustainability of China’s sustainable CBEC logistics. By systematically analyzing the risks, this study emphasizes the importance of identifying and managing these risks, which is crucial for building a more resilient and efficient logistics system. Effective risk management can not only enhance operational efficiency, reduce waste, and lower costs, but also significantly improve the sustainability of the supply chain. This finding provides a theoretical foundation and practical guidance for the future promotion of 3PL services in CBEC logistics, advancing the logistics system toward greater sustainability.

The findings of this study offer several intriguing practical implications. First, this research systematically analyzed the collaboration services between 3PL services and China’s sustainable CBEC and the potential risks of China’s sustainable CBEC logistics. This will help managers decide on a better 3PL provider based on the company’s characteristics and help managers understand the conditions that affect the company’s performance changes, thereby generating better benefits.

Secondly, this research shows that the increase in 3PL service requirements reflects from the side that 3PL service participation in CBEC can enable CBEC companies to obtain a better market response. This study can help overseas 3PL service providers understand China and the role that they can play. Therefore, the managers of 3PL service companies will pay more attention to relationship management with partners in mainland China, strengthen strategic cooperation, further enhance the company’s business capabilities, and reduce the incidence of potential risks.

From the case study analysis, we developed several propositions concerning the CBEC risks faced by overseas 3PL providers in China:

P1: IT can positively influence overseas 3PL providers.

We note that the case company in this study, the ZongTeng Group, attaches great importance to the application of information technology in CBEC logistics and has formed a service ecological chain of “four flows in one” with information technology as the core, including logistics, business flow, and capital flow. However, how much of an impact can IT technology have on China’s sustainable CBEC logistics?

Sustainable development relies on efficient, transparent, and traceable supply chain management. Advanced I.T. technologies, such as disruptive innovation, demonstrate immense potential. They ensure transparency across all supply chain stages, provide real-time tracking and tracing capabilities, and reduce the likelihood of data fraud and human error [118]. These technologies offer reliable technical support for achieving sustainability and transparency in global supply chains. The literature has demonstrated that the low use of technology and outdated technology are currently some of the leading logistics risks in China [22]. So, it is possible that overseas 3PL providers need help connecting their information system to the mainland logistics system, resulting in low-efficiency communication, insufficient traceability, and information sharing [1,54]. Hence, 3PL or CBEC companies do well in information construction and build databases by general trade standards. Attached importance to I.T. research and development and long-term investment in hardware and software and can never respond to changes to maintain the efficiency of business operations.

P2: Process design and planning limits overseas 3PL providers.

Our research results indicate that although shipments from overseas warehouses will increase in the future, the most significant driving factors and obstacles are external. One explanation is that China has its unique socialist and political system; each policy represents the country’s regulations, and each business must follow them in CBEC logistics [48]. In addition, the language differences could result in overseas 3PL providers needing to understand the policy and requirements [82]. Based on the analysis of Hofenk, Schipper, Semeijn and Gelderman [100], they must consider multiple aspects of the actual situation to design their optimal procedures. Such an initiative would require China to strengthen logistics infrastructure construction from a general perspective. From the perspective of overseas 3PL providers, they need to keep abreast of China’s policy changes and have Chinese staff who understand Western culture and Chinese culture work as coordinators.

P3: Lack of trust might hinder overseas 3PL providers.

Our results reveal that although the ZongTeng Group in this case is the industry leader in CBEC logistics companies, the company still faces a lack of expertise risk and uncertainty of cost, which together result in the lack-of-trust risks to 3PL providers. Especially for China, which is full of Confucianism, the trust value between logistics service providers and users is closely related [10,82,119]. Therefore, according to Lumineau [120], we believe that trust and distrust must be included in the key part of the contract and ethics training on this part should be conducted at all levels of the company.

6. Conclusions

In this study, we investigated the potential risks that overseas third-party logistics services face in supporting sustainable CBEC logistics in China. Our research aimed to fill a significant gap in the current literature, which primarily focuses on the benefits of 3PL services without adequately discussing the associated risks. By conducting a systematic literature review and a case study of the ZongTeng Group, we identified and empirically validated these risks, providing theoretical foundations and practical guidance for enhancing logistics management in China’s sustainable CBEC.

We addressed two key research questions: the current collaboration modes between overseas 3PL providers and China’s sustainable CBEC logistics, and the potential risks of these services. Our findings reveal that the collaboration modes between overseas 3PL providers and China’s sustainable CBEC logistics are primarily the goods collection mode and the bonded warehouse mode. The goods collection mode is characterized by its lower costs and flexibility, but faces challenges related to quality uncertainty and the delivery time. This mode involves overseas suppliers packing parcels and sending them to 3PL warehouses for temporary storage before batch dispatch to China. It is cost-effective but can lead to issues such as product damage during international shipment and delays due to customs clearance. In contrast, the bonded warehouse mode, although more efficient and compliant with Chinese regulations, is heavily influenced by policy changes and incurs higher storage costs. In this mode, products are stored in bonded warehouses in China, where they are processed and shipped to customers after customs clearance. This mode ensures faster delivery times and better compliance with local regulations, but requires significant investment in warehouse management and is subject to stringent government policies.

Additionally, our case study identified several key risks associated with the roles of overseas 3PL providers in China’s sustainable CBEC logistics. These include contracting with unreliable partners, uncertainties in the quality, delivery time, and cost, as well as challenges related to country regulations, cultural and language differences, a lack of expertise, and IT capability. The case study of the ZongTeng Group confirmed these risks, highlighting the complex and evolving nature of CBEC logistics in China. This emphasizes the importance of robust risk management practices to mitigate these risks effectively.

This study makes several critical contributions to both academic research and practical applications. Firstly, it addresses a significant gap in the literature by systematically identifying and categorizing potential risks associated with 3PL services in China’s sustainable cross-border e-commerce logistics. This new classification of risks offers a fresh perspective on the collaboration methods between 3PL services and China’s CBEC, providing a comprehensive overview that can guide future research. Secondly, by examining these risks from the viewpoint of overseas 3PL providers, this study offers deeper insights into the integration of 3PL services within China’s CBEC logistics model. This perspective has been largely overlooked in existing research, adding a valuable dimension to the current understanding.

In terms of practical implications, the research provides valuable insights into 3PL service providers and CBEC companies aiming to enhance their logistics strategies. By understanding the identified risks, managers can make more informed decisions when selecting and managing 3PL partnerships, ultimately improving operational efficiency and resilience. The findings also underscore the importance of addressing regulatory compliance, cultural and language barriers, and IT capabilities to ensure successful collaboration between overseas 3PL providers and Chinese CBEC logistics.

However, there are several limitations. First, this study focuses primarily on the Chinese context, which may limit the generalizability of the findings to other regions. Second, risk validation through a single case study may not capture the full diversity of challenges faced by 3PL providers in different sectors or scales of operation. Future research should consider broader case studies and incorporate quantitative methods to validate and expand upon these findings. Additionally, this study does not delve deeply into how emerging technologies, particularly artificial intelligence, are influencing CBEC and logistics. While this study has addressed significant aspects of 3PL services and their associated risks, future research should focus on providing solutions to mitigate these risks and promote sustainable practices within the logistics sector. Supply chain management has profound implications with the rise of AI and the continuous development of generative AI technologies. AI technologies can enhance various aspects of logistics in demand forecasting, route optimization, and real-time inventory management, leading to more efficient and responsive supply chains. Future research should focus on how these AI advancements can be integrated into sustainable CBEC logistics to address existing challenges and optimize operations. Scholars should explore generative AI’s potential impacts and roles in transforming logistics processes, improving efficiency, and reducing environmental impacts.