China pilots express delivery services in villages

China began to pilot express delivery services in six provinces and autonomous regions as well as 15 cities and prefectures, the postal service regulator announced recently.

A logistics firm employee arranges packages at a warehouse in Nanjing, Jiangsu province. [Photo/China Daily]

The six provinces and autonomous regions are Hebei, Inner Mongolia, Heilongjiang, Jiangsu, Anhui and Qinghai. The 15 cities and prefectures are Taiyuan, Jilin, Jining, Zhumadian, Huanggang, Chenzhou, Fangchenggang, Haikou, Ziyang, Qiannan, Yuxi, Xi'an, Yan'an, Yinchuan, and Hami.

Officials from the State Post Bureau said that the efforts are aimed at developing practical and replicable experience that can be popularized in rural areas across the country.

Specifically, the efforts include improving and connecting the logistics systems at county, township, and village levels, motivating local governments to invest more in rural delivery services and make better plans and policies, integrating the sector with postal, transportation, and e-commerce resources, and strengthening service regulation and combating irregularities.

According to this year's government work report, the government will support the rollout of e-commerce and express delivery services in rural areas. And in April, the State Post Bureau launched a three-year action plan, aiming to cover roughly all administrative villages in China with delivery services by the end of 2022.