China.com, January 12 (Reporter Peng Yao) On the afternoon of January 1, 2024, a box of strawberries was sent from Dandong, Liaoning Province, and arrived in Yueyang, Hunan, more than 2,000 kilometers away, through cold chain transportation. From each piece must reach all the way to the "fresh", the efficient modern express delivery industry allows cross-regional, cross-seasonal, and multi-variety consumer demand to be realized.
According to data released by the State Post Bureau, it is estimated that in 2023, the express business volume and business revenue will reach 132 billion pieces and 1.2 trillion yuan, respectively, an increase of 19.5% and 14.5% year-on-year. The rapid growth of the express delivery industry also shows the resilience and vitality of China's economic development.
Data map: Shenyang Comprehensive Bonded Zone cross-border logistics bonded warehouse. Photo by China Network reporter Peng Yao
Unleash the potential of consumption and promote economic development
Since the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, the mainland has built the world's largest postal express network covering the whole country, going deep into the countryside and reaching the world. The speed and efficiency of the express delivery industry are constantly improving, not only transporting fresh goods on the shelves, but also sending a signal of active purchasing power.
On December 4, 2023, the annual business volume of mainland express delivery exceeded the 120 billion mark for the first time. Bian Zuodong, deputy director of the Market Supervision Department of the State Post Bureau, said in an interview with the media that the growth of express business data comes from the further improvement of residents' consumer demand. From January to November 2023, the national online retail sales of physical goods increased by 8.3% year-on-year, accounting for 27.5% of the total retail sales of consumer goods, and the proportion of online shopping has steadily increased. During the "Double 11" period (November 1-16) in the same year, postal and express delivery enterprises across the country collected about 7.767 billion express parcels, a year-on-year increase of 25.7%, and delivered about 7.509 billion express parcels, a year-on-year increase of 30.9%.
In November 2023, Jiangsu issued the "Implementation Opinions on Accelerating the Development of the Postal Express Industry and Further Promoting Consumption and Expanding Domestic Demand" to guide the postal express industry to deepen its integration and interaction with modern agriculture, advanced manufacturing, cultural tourism and other industries, and play a supporting role in expanding online sales channels and reducing logistics costs for related industries, so as to help strengthen the industrial chain and smooth the supply chain.
Bian Zuodong pointed out that new consumption models such as "online shopping", "Internet +" and "digital +" have shown new development momentum, and the trend of expanding consumption scale and structural upgrading is still continuing.
At present, China's economy is still in a critical period of economic recovery, transformation and upgrading, and the logistics industry, as an indispensable and important part of the mainland's promotion of high-quality economic development, has maintained synchronous expansion with the further implementation of policies such as expanding domestic demand and promoting consumption, and has further consolidated the positive trend of seeking progress while maintaining stability.
Zhao Chongjiu, Secretary of the Party Leadership Group and Director of the State Post Bureau, pointed out at the 2024 National Postal Management Work Conference that the industry will continue to maintain a steady upward trend in 2024, and it is expected that the postal industry's mail and delivery business volume and postal industry business income will complete 171.5 billion pieces and 1.6 trillion yuan respectively, with a growth rate of about 6%, and the express business volume and business income will complete 142.5 billion pieces and 1.3 trillion yuan respectively, with a growth rate of about 8%.
Data map: Zigui County, Hubei Province has built a citrus industry chain, and citrus-related products are sold all over the country through online and offline channels. Photo by China Network reporter Peng Yao
Promote industrial development and help rural revitalization
"The current 'September Red' has saved enough sunshine and sweetness, waiting for you to taste. Zheng Shengying, a villager from Xilingxia Village, Zigui, Hubei Province, promoted his home-grown navel oranges through his circle of friends. After receiving the order, she picks, packs, and sends it out in time, and most customers across the country can receive the package within 3 days. The extensive transportation and ubiquitous express delivery industry have opened up channels for villagers to increase their income and become rich, and also helped the small fruit industry to become one of the bright spots of rural economic growth in Zigui County.
Since August 28, 2023, the average daily delivery volume of Li Guangtao, a specialty product of Dunhuang, Gansu Province, has exceeded 5,000 pieces, driving farmers to increase their income by more than 400 yuan. In Liuzhou, Guangxi, the annual parcel volume of snail flour exceeded 100 million pieces, and it was selected into the list of "2022 Gold Medal Project of Express Service Modern Agriculture".
In recent years, the construction of rural mail and logistics system has achieved remarkable results. In 2023, a total of 1,267 county-level public mail and distribution centers, 289,000 village-level integrated mail and logistics service stations and 190,000 village post stations will be built, 83 cold chain transfer centers and 351 cold chain warehouses will be built, more than 1,300 new postal and intermodal postal routes will be added, and the motorization rate of rural postal roads will increase by 9 percentage points year-on-year. The in-depth docking of postal express and transportation, and the deep integration with e-commerce, have provided strong transportation capacity support for consumer goods to go to the countryside and local specialties to the city, and have played an important role in strengthening the private economy and promoting the development of new business formats.
In August 2023, Xinjiang issued the "Implementation Opinions on Promoting the Upward and High-quality Development of Postal Express Industry Serving Special Agricultural Products in the Autonomous Region", proposing to strengthen the construction of rural e-commerce and delivery infrastructure, promote the coordinated development of rural e-commerce express delivery, strengthen the integration and utilization of rural resources, promote the improvement of rural delivery service capabilities, innovate and drive the upward service model of special agricultural products, and build an e-commerce and delivery cold chain service system, so as to promote the high-quality development of postal express industry in the autonomous region to serve the upward development of special agricultural products.
"Express delivery has effectively promoted circulation and effectively served people's livelihood, and has become a 'weather vane' reflecting economic vitality and a 'barometer' of economic development, and an important force in narrowing the gap between urban and rural areas and promoting common prosperity. Zhao Chongjiu said.
Data map: Containers waiting for the delivery of China-Europe Express (Taizhou) at Toumen Port in Zhejiang. Toumen Port serves the export-oriented economic development of Taizhou, and a large number of commodities are sold to Southeast Asia through sea-rail intermodal transportation. Photo by China Network reporter Peng Yao
Strengthen internal and external connectivity and accelerate global layout
Logistics and customs work together to make a dazzling array of overseas shopping products reach domestic consumers faster and faster, and more and more "Made in China" are also going overseas with Chinese cross-border e-commerce platforms such as Shein and Temu "expanding their territory" in the international market.
In 2023, the construction of the postal international mail center of the national "14th Five-Year Plan" major project will be accelerated, the main project of Yiwu, Chengdu, Changsha, Nanchang and Xining mail processing centers will be basically completed, and the first professional cargo hub airport in Asia, Ezhou Huahu Airport, will be fully put into operation. The industry has built a total of 312 overseas distribution centers with a total area of 1.6 million square meters, and more than 300 overseas warehouses with a total area of more than 3.95 million square meters. The growth rate of international mail express business in Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan exceeded 50%.
At the symposium of mail delivery companies and express delivery associations held on November 14, 2023, Zhao Chongjiu emphasized after listening to the speeches of associations and enterprises that it is necessary to seize opportunities, respond to challenges, serve the domestic and international dual circulation, take the road of high-quality development, and make greater contributions to building a new development pattern.
For international postal services, the 2024 National Postal Management Work Conference held a few days ago emphasized that the "express delivery to the sea" project will be further promoted, cross-border infrastructure will be improved, and the international mail service network will be improved.
The reporter noted that at present, a number of domestic express logistics companies have laid out cross-border logistics. Recently, YTO has opened two Wenzhou international freight routes; Cainiao announced its entry into the U.S. container shipping market, that is, the orders of multiple e-commerce platforms or multiple stores are combined into one package, which is transported from the container warehouse to overseas; Jingdong Logistics and Honor have launched an overseas "front warehouse" service model in Europe, realizing the fastest delivery of orders in France, Belgium and other countries within 1 day, and covering core European countries and regions in 2-3 days.
"In the new era, we must strengthen internal and external connectivity, accelerate the integration into the construction of a modern and high-quality national comprehensive three-dimensional transportation network, and shine in accelerating the construction of a new development pattern with the domestic cycle as the main body and the domestic and international dual cycles promoting each other. Liao Jinrong, deputy director of the State Post Bureau, said.
Editor: Wu Jiahong
Source: China.com