China Transport News:

We all know that convenient and efficient postal and express services have become an indispensable part of people's lives. What measures have relevant departments taken to ensure smooth delivery services while solving the "last-kilometer" problem? How will you promote the high-quality development of the postal and express delivery industry in the future? Thank you.

Zhao Chongjiu:

Thank you for your questions. The postal and express delivery industry has become an important sector closely related to China's economic and social development and people's lives. It has developed rapidly in recent years. We know that in 2023, China's express delivery volume exceeded 132 billion parcels, and in the first half of this year, 80 billion parcels have been delivered, a 23% increase compared to the same period last year, continuing to show a trend of rapid growth.

The postal and express industry is becoming increasingly important in economic activities. This industry involves door-to-door logistics services, for which both trunk line transportation and terminal delivery are crucial. As you mentioned, solving the "last-kilometer" problem is a very important part of our work. Over the years, we have made a lot of efforts in this regard and achieved a series of very good results. Here I will briefly introduce the main features of our work.

First, an expanding network has provided more convenient services. The postal and express sector has actively developed a modern delivery service network system of "hubs + channels + networks." At the terminal end, various service methods such as home delivery, smart lockers and courier stations have been developed. This variety in terminal services has enriched the supply of courier services and better met the public's diverse needs. People's demands for courier services are becoming higher and more diverse, and the industry is actively exploring various methods in terminal services to better meet these needs.

Second, industrial integration has provided stronger support for the real economy. The express delivery industry supports modern commercial and trade circulation. The smooth flow of parcels has greatly boosted the circulation of goods and the development of the retail industry, promoting the rapid growth of sectors such as e-commerce livestreaming and cross-border e-commerce. We have also actively supported modern agriculture by implementing the "courier station in every village" project, building over 1,200 county-level public delivery service centers and more than 300,000 village-level integrated delivery logistics service stations. The courier network has become an important channel for transporting agricultural products from villages to cities and for transporting consumer goods from cities to villages. We have also supported advanced manufacturing by integrating courier services into production lines, directly connecting production, supply and sales, and injecting new vitality into the development of the real economy.

Third, stronger growth drivers have laid a more solid foundation for development. We have continued to spur industrial innovation through sci-tech innovations. Advanced technologies such as intelligent sorting and security screening systems have been widely adopted, and the express delivery industry has played an increasingly prominent leading role in the logistics sector. We have actively leveraged the advantages of the system of "larger government departments", fully utilizing multi-modal transport to achieve door-to-door, one-bill and one-ticket services. In addition, experiments in high-speed rail express delivery have proven useful, and air-express delivery capacity has continued to increase. We have also actively explored low-altitude logistics scenarios such as drone delivery. Unmanned vehicles, drones and unmanned warehouses have been widely used. Scientific and technological developments have continuously promoted the restructuring of logistics organization, driving industry progress.

Fourth, we have improved the quality of our work to provide more effective services for the people. We have focused on solving pressing difficulties and problems that concern the people most in the postal and express sector, constantly taking special rectification measures. Express services catering to cold chains have developed rapidly. We have also introduced special measures to end unjustified charges for courier services in rural areas, continuously improved the handling of complaints, and actively carried out the "Nuanfeng Campaign " to care for and support couriers. As a result, the sense of gain and happiness of people using postal services has significantly increased.

In the first half of 2024, the public satisfaction score for courier services reached over 83 points, increasing by 2 points compared to the same period last year, indicating greater public satisfaction.

Next, focusing on promoting high-quality development of the industry, we will continue to empower the industry through digitalization and the application of smart technologies, and foster and develop new quality productive forces in line with local conditions. We will apply digital and smart technologies to every step from collecting, transferring and transporting to delivering parcels, effectively boosting total factor productivity. We will strengthen the construction of the delivery service network, optimize the layout of delivery hubs in line with city cluster development, continuously advance the construction of a rural delivery logistics system, and improve the international delivery service network to enhance internal and external connectivity. We will continue to deepen industry collaboration, promote the integration of service chains with advanced manufacturing, and better serve economic development. We will continuously strengthen business entities, and actively create a sound environment in which enterprises under all forms of ownership can compete and grow on a level playing field. Thank you.