Carlyle Group LP (Nasdaq: CG) is partnering with investment management firm Townsend Group to buy 17 warehouses for roughly $200 million.

The transaction is expected to help facilitate Carlyle’s efforts to build a logistics platform in China.

As part of the deal, Washington, D.C.-based Carlyle agreed to purchase five existing logistics warehouses owned by domestic warehouse developer Shanghai Yupei Group. The private equity firm will partner with Shanghai Yupei to build another 12 warehouses across China, as well.

The warehouses are slated to be built in Shanghai, Beijing and Guangzhou, as well as in Chongqing, Hefei, Shenyang, Tianjin and Zhengzhou.

Shanghai Yupei is co-investing $200 million on the deal.

The deal comes in the midst of an M&A boom within the logistics sector, especially overseas as a means for buyers to ship products at a lower cost.

Also on the Asian front, GeoPost SA purchased a majority stake in Hong Kong transportation and logistics company Tigers Ltd.

XPO Logistics Inc. (NYSE: XPO) CEO Bradley Jacobs said in a January 2012 video interview that the industry was ripe for consolidation.

For more coverage, see "Logistics, Logistics, Logistics."