China aims for more efficient, advanced logistics network

BEIJING - China aims to build an efficient, safe and technically advanced logistics network that covers the whole nation with high-quality services by 2020, said the State Post Bureau (SPB) Wednesday.

The country wants to further expand its courier network and maintain the domestic logistics market as the world's largest, and by 2020, logistics service will reach every village and township in China, said the SPB, citing a plan for the 13th Five-Year Plan (2016-2020) period.

By 2020, all post and deliveries shall be trackable, while customers will have a wider range of choices in the type of services, according to the plan.

China also plans to better connect its logistics service to the global network and improve the coverage and efficiency of international express deliveries in the five-year period.

The government will promote the logistics sector through the Internet Plus action plan, enhance delivery security, and boost resource efficiency so that the sector will develop in an environment-friendly way, said the plan.

Over 8 billion deliveries are expected to be made in the first quarter of 2017 with revenue likely to reach over 100 billion yuan ($14.5 billion), according to SPB data.

In the fourth quarter of 2016, 10.2 billion deliveries were made, up 47.2 percent year on year, the SPB said.