Employees of a courier company are busy at the sorting center in Weifang, East China's Shandong Province on July 1, 2024. Data from the State Post Bureau show that as of June 30, the express delivery volume in China for the first half of this year exceeded 80 billion items, achieving this milestone 59 days earlier than in 2023. Photo: VCG

China's express delivery sector has kept the momentum of rapid growth, underscoring the country's recovering consumer market. By Tuesday, the country's express delivery sector has handled 100 billion parcels, reaching the same milestone 71 days ahead of last year's pace.

The average monthly delivery volume has exceeded 13 billion parcels, while monthly revenue has surpassed 100 billion yuan ($13.9 billion), both setting new records, according to data released by the State Postal Bureau on Tuesday.

Notably, express delivery industry has seen rapid expansion into the country's rural areas, with improvements in logistics infrastructure. Over 1,200 county-level public delivery service centers and more than 300,000 village-level logistics stations have been set up across China, creating a comprehensive rural delivery network.

The impressive figures highlight the vibrancy of China's express delivery sector and its increasing efficiency, reflecting the sector's broad economic vitality and resilience, said Wang Yuehan, director of State Postal Bureau's development and research center.

With China's economic rebounding, the express delivery sector has thrived this year, supported by government policies aimed at expanding domestic demand and stabilizing growth. Wang noted that the industry has effectively supported the development of the online economy and facilitated the movement of goods.

The State Post Bureau's report on the express delivery industry for July shows a notable growth in the sector, with the industry development index achieving an 11.8 percent year-on-year growth. Parcel volume for July is expected to grow by 22 percent year-on-year, with the sector's revenue rising by approximately 16 percent year-on-year.

China's express delivery sector is evolving, with closer ties to the manufacturing industry, accelerated adoption of new technologies, and higher service quality. The industry is also advancing the use of unmanned technology and expanding the air transport network to boost delivery capability, according to the bureau.

China's consumer market has maintained a sustained recovery. In July, China's consumer price index, a main gauge of inflation, edged up 0.5 percent year-on-year, marking six consecutive months of expansion.

In a recent development, Northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region has introduced its first direct postal route linking Xi'an and Kashi. This new route, which began operations on Monday after a 10-day trial, reduces parcel transport time to only 53 hours — cutting delivery times by two days and significantly improving delivery efficiency.