BEIJING: Despite international instability and economic uncertainty over the past year, the global express delivery market has bucked the downward trend and witnessed healthy development, according to a report released on Wednesday.
An important part of the global supply chain, express delivery has weathered strong headwinds such as high inflation, geopolitical tensions and the pandemic, the report said.
The annual report, first published in 2019, was issued by the Development and Research Center of the State Post Bureau, China’s national regulator for postal and express delivery services, at the fifth China (Hangzhou) International Express Delivery Conference in Tonglu, Zhejiang province.
Last year, some 189 billion parcels were handled worldwide, an increase of 9.8 percent year-on-year, which translates into about 24 parcels for every single person on the globe, the report said. Revenue from the industry stood at 4.1 trillion yuan ($573 billion), up about 12.2 percent year-on-year.
“Express delivery has become a weather vane of economic vitality and a barometer of economic development, as well as an important force to narrow urban-rural gaps and promote common prosperity,” said Zhao Chongjiu, head of the State Post Bureau, while addressing the conference.
Since 2014, China has consistently ranked first in the world in terms of express parcels delivered each year. More than 110 billion express parcels were delivered in China last year, over 58 percent of the global total.
“The robust development of the express delivery sector reflects the vigor and vitality of China’s consumer market and it is a vivid portrayal of the nation’s continuous economic recovery,” said Wang Xibin, deputy director of the Development and Research Center.
China’s parcel delivery industry has maintained its resilient growth this year. Some 105 billion parcels were delivered from January to October, up 17 percent year-on-year, the latest figures from the State Post Bureau show.
A total of 639 million parcels were handled on Nov 11 alone, the date of the Double 11 shopping festival. –The Daily Mail-China Daily news exchange item
