When you start working with BRICS, the first thing you encounter is contrast. On the one hand, China, with its almost perfect logistics. On the other hand, Russia or Brazil, with their huge distances and, to put it mildly, not the best infrastructure. If you look at the latest World Bank (LPI) ranking, everything falls into place: China is in 26th place, and Russia is in 75th. The difference is huge.
And in these conditions, logistics and partners are becoming not just a line in costs, but a key success factor. Everything depends on who you choose: whether your cargo will arrive, in what condition and at what time. Finding truly reliable BRICS logistics companies is not about choosing the cheapest deal, but about the survival and stability of your business.
Criterion No. 1: Understanding reality
The first thing to do when choosing a BRICS carrier is to check its knowledge of the match. Start with geography.
Many people think that logistics in China is equally good everywhere. This is a mistake. "Good" China is its central and southern parts, relatively speaking, everything south of Beijing. The infrastructure, speed and prices are excellent there. But the north and west of the country are a completely different story. The logistics there are heavy, expensive and unpredictable.
Sometimes it is faster and cheaper to send cargo from Beijing to the south, to Guangzhou, than to the north, to the border with Russia, although the distance is shorter.
Ask a potential partner how they will transport your cargo. If he doesn't understand this difference, he's probably never carried anything.
And here lies another critical point — jurisdiction. While the product is traveling through "good" China, you have tracking. But then there are two main routes to Russia. The first is through the Far East (Manchuria, Heihe). As soon as the cargo crosses the border, it falls under Russian laws, and you can make claims. The second route is through transit through Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan. And this is often the "dead zone". You won't find out what's going on with the cargo or where it's stuck. It is almost impossible to file a claim in these countries. Therefore, if the product is expensive, it is safer to transfer it to the Russian jurisdiction as early as possible. A good logistics contractor is required to explain this difference in risks.
Criterion No. 2: Understanding the specifics of transport.
Another test of professionalism is understanding the nuances of different modes of transport. Take, for example, the sea.
It would seem that everything is simple: I ordered a container, it floated. But there is a difference in which ship he sails on. You can ship the cargo on a huge ocean container ship, or you can take a small ferry that runs between the port cities of China and Vladivostok.
Large container ships build complex routes around the world. And if your container is not the most profitable for them, it can roll around the world for months.
In practice, there are stories where the cargo that was supposed to arrive in Moscow first went to Korea, then to Africa. As a result, the delivery dates fly off into space.
Small ferries, on the contrary, follow clear and short routes. They quickly deliver containers to Vladivostok, and then you load them onto the railway and transport them across Russia under your control. It may be more expensive, but it's predictable. A competent partner should understand this difference and offer options, not just the cheapest freight.
Criterion No. 3: Complexity and real responsibility
The ideal partner is the one who can solve all the issues "turnkey": bring, clear, label, store. But it is important to understand what exactly he is responsible for under the contract.
There are two fundamentally different approaches:
- The carrier partner. He's selling you a shipping service. His responsibility is limited by the safety of the cargo in transit and the timing. If the labeling on the product is done incorrectly, he will say: "It's not my job." And he'll be right.
- The partner is an operator (agent). He sells you the end result. He may involve dozens of subcontractors, but he's the only one responsible for you. If the labeling is wrong, that's his problem. If the product is damaged in the warehouse, too.
Therefore, always look at the subject of the contract. Are you buying just "transportation" or "delivery of goods ready for sale"? This is a fundamentally different level of responsibility.
Criterion No. 4: Attitude to formalities
Advice to check ISO certificates or AEO status in 2025, in the face of sanctions, often does not work and can be misleading. You need to understand how the market works now.
- You don't work with the giants directly. You're working with an intermediary who most likely doesn't have an ISO. The right question for him is: "Which major carriers do you work with and can you confirm their reliability?"
- Sanctions have created a new reality. The big players have not left the market, they are creating "gasket companies". And the most important reliability marker here is not a certificate, but a recommendation from a "big" company. In fact, you continue to work with the same team, but through a different legal entity.
- The AEO (AEO) status has lost its relevance. When the industry operates through chains of new, formally "pure" companies, this status often loses its meaning.
Therefore, the main criterion today is not formal regalia, but the partner's real integration into new networks and his work experience bypassing restrictions.
Guarantees and service. What should I believe in?
Everyone can promise, but when it comes to problems, only three things are important: insurance, contract, and people.
- Insurance. You need full cargo insurance "against all risks" for its full cost, and this must be clearly stated in the contract. But
even the best insurance is not a panacea. It is unlikely to cover damage during customs inspection or organized theft on the way.
Therefore, insurance is a mandatory, but not the only element of safety.
- Contract. The most important question is with whom and by whose rules are you concluding it? The contract with a foreign partner must comply with the norms of the law of his country. China is a classic example. They will easily sign any contract in English, knowing that it will most likely not be valid in their court. Always specify which country's law applies and where disputes will be resolved.
- Support. This is perhaps the most important criterion. Try just calling them at 7 p.m. Will they answer you? Logistics does not sleep. You should have a personal manager who knows your deal inside out, not just a call center operator. The availability and adequacy of a manager is a more reliable indicator than any certificates.
Where to look and how to check? Real methods, not theory
In the current reality, most standard tips simply don't work.
- Networking and recommendations. This is the main and, in fact, the only truly working method. When major players work through "shim companies", the most valuable asset is a recommendation from them.
- Exchanges and aggregators. Their real benefits come down to two tasks: protection against the substitution of banking details and an assessment of the scale of the business by financial turnover. You need to be very careful about trusting the ratings and reviews on these sites.
- Large operators. Sometimes it's easier to work with one major operator. Not so that he does everything himself, but so that he, as the "head" structure, gives access to his network of trusted subcontractors. You use his reputation and security service as a filter.
Choosing a BRICS carrier is a systematic effort. It is necessary to evaluate a partner not by beautiful pieces of paper, but by his real understanding of the processes, knowledge of geography and pitfalls.
Use all available tools: official registries, financial statements, and, most importantly, professional communities. This is the only way you can find a truly reliable partner and build stable logistics chains in such a difficult region as BRICS.
This work never ends. We continue to monitor the market, and we share the most important observations in our Telegram channel.
Vitaly Kovalev is an expert on China with more than 20 years of experience in studying China's trade, economic and social development. Author of analytical articles and comments for leading Russian and international media.
