China's e-commerce logistics index up for 4 consecutive months

China's e-commerce logistics index gained for the fourth straight month in June, indicating a steady domestic demand recovery, industry data showed on Wednesday.

Last month, the index tracking e-commerce logistics activities came in at 114.8 points, up 0.9 points from May, according to the China Federation of Logistics and Purchasing (CFLP).

Breaking down the data, the total business volume index stood at 132.9 points, a month-on-month increase of 3.1 points.

In terms of regions, the total business volume indexes of regions across China were all on the rise, with the western region reporting the largest growth and the eastern region's increase exceeding the national average. Notably, the rural e-commerce logistics business volume index reached 132.1 points, 2.4 points higher than May.

"E-commerce has played a significant role in promoting consumption. So the vitality of consumption is gradually increasing, and consumer expectations are also improving," said Liu Yuhang, director of China Logistics Information Center.

From the demand side, during the mid-year online shopping promotion in June, live streaming activities became more diverse and maintained a good growth momentum.

As for the supply side, e-commerce companies intensified efforts to meet the delivery needs of merchants and consumers, by means such as increasing the application of digital technology and providing customized services.

Experts predicted that the e-commerce logistics demand may slow down in July as the blowout mid-year e-commerce sales festival came to an end. However, driven by the rapid growth of consumer demand, the e-commerce logistics market is expected to remain very active.

China's e-commerce logistics index up for 4 consecutive months

Emergency responders have been racing against time to build shelters at resettlement sites in southwest China's Xizang Autonomous Region as aftershocks from the deadly quake that struck the region last week continue.

The 6.8-magnitude earthquake hit Dingri County of the region's Xigaze City on Jan 7, claiming the lives of 126 people and injuring 188 others, while destroying some 3,600 houses and forcing some 47,500 residents to be relocated across the affected areas.

A 4.9-magnitude and a 5.0-magnitude earthquake jolted Dingri County at 20:57 and 20:58 on Monday (Beijing Time), both aftershocks from last week's earthquake, according to the China Earthquake Networks Center (CENC).

The 5.0-magnitude earthquake is the largest aftershock monitored so far, with its epicenter nine kilometers away from the epicenter of the 6.8-magnitude earthquake, according to CENC.

According to a China Media Group (CMG) reporter who went deep in to one of the worst-hit regions, a village in Tsogo Township, the aftershocks occurred when construction workers and fire fighters were building prefabricated houses.

When the aftershocks hit, all construction materials and emergency equipment on the ground were shaking, but work continued in an orderly manner after the shockwave ended, according to the reporter.

Emergency responders continue with shelter building despite aftershocks in Xizang