Yunnan Airport Group Co, which owns 11 airports in southwestern China, is seeking domestic and overseas partners to build a freight distribution center to tap cargo traffic between China and South Asia.

Potential partners began bidding yesterday, Wei Ruosong, an official in charge of the bidding, said without giving details. The logistics center will cover 3.4 million square meters at Kunming Airport in Yunnan Province, said a statement on the provincial government's Website, Bloomberg News reported.

Annual cargo volume at the airport will reach 600,000 tons in 2015 and more than triple to 2.1 million tons in the next 20 years. China's rising demand for air transport has spurred plans to find international investment partners.

(Shanghai Daily October 8, 2008)