China's express delivery volume ranks 1st in world for 11 consecutive years

China's courier sector handled 174.5 billion parcels in 2024, ranking first in the world for 11 consecutive years, the State Post Bureau announced Wednesday.

It marks a surge of 21 percent year on year, said the bureau.

The country's postal industry handled 193 billion parcels throughout the year, up 19 percent compared with the same period in 2023, achieving an 11 percent year-on-year revenue growth to 1.7 trillion yuan (about 231.9 billion U.S. dollars), according to the bureau.

In 2024, China's courier sector's total revenue expanded 13 percent year on year to 1.4 trillion yuan.

Since 2024, the construction of an international postal and express hub cluster with the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei, Yangtze River Delta, Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, Chengdu-Chongqing, and Central region urban clusters as the core has been steadily advanced.

At present, there are 1,300 mail and express processing centers above designated size in China, and the maximum daily processing capacity of express delivery reaches 729 million pieces. A total of 92 cold chain transfer centers and 405 cold chain warehouses have been built.

In east China's Zhejiang Province, the construction of Jiaxing global aviation logistics hub project is speeding up. The project includes nearly 100 seats, as well as bonded logistics center, warehousing, multimodal transport area, and comprehensive business center.

This year, the multimodal transportation center and some storage facilities in the project will be completed and put into use, when the maximum processing capacity of express delivery will be increased by more than three times, and its service will cover other regions of the Yangtze River Delta, including Shanghai, Hangzhou, Suzhou and Huzhou.

In Xining, capital city of northwest China's Qinghai Province, the construction of a mail processing center covering an area of eight hectares has been basically completed. It is expected to increase the daily processing capacity of express parcels in the center from 100,000 to 400,000 after being put into use this year.

"We have actively integrated into the modern comprehensive transportation system, accelerated the construction of a modern industrial infrastructure system, and in particular further improved the basic postal network in the central and western regions, with the express delivery volume in central and western China increasing by 30 percent and 35 percent year on year, effectively, narrowing the gap between urban and rural residents' experience in consumer service. It better helps reduce the cost of logistics in the whole society, improve the efficiency of comprehensive transportation, and serve the smooth circulation of the national economy," said Hou Yanbo, spokesman of the State Post Bureau.

The State Post Bureau expects that the postal industry will continue to maintain a steady upward trend in 2025, with the express delivery volume and revenue reaching 190 billion and 1.5 trillion yuan respectively at a growth rate of about 8 percent.

China's express delivery volume ranks 1st in world for 11 consecutive years

China's manned space program is a "relay" of mission and responsibilities between generations of astronauts, said Li Cong, one of the Shenzhou-18 trio at a press conference Wednesday, when sharing his experience of "joining forces" with crew members of Shenzhou-17 and Shenzhou-19 in China's Tiangong space station.

During their mission, the Shenzhou-18 crew relayed with other Chinese astronauts twice. On April 26, 2024, the Shenzhou-17 crew welcomed the Shenzhou-18 crew to board the Tiangong space station. Half a year later, On Oct 30, the Shenzhou-18 crew "hosted" the next generation of Chinese astronauts, the Shenzhou-19 crew, at the Tiangong tation, marking the fifth "joining forces" of Chinese astronauts in space.

"The manned space program is a relay. It is the accumulated experiences of multiple missions, and the vitality brought by generations of newcomers, that drive the development of our great cause for a better future. Now, the 'relay baton' is handed to our crew. Standing on the shoulders of giants, our 'starting line' is getting higher, and the challenges are also piling up. As the saying goes, there is no 'best', but only a 'better,'" said Li.

"The two times of 'joining forces' shared similarities. We were handing down responsibilities, missions, and the spirit of the manned space program. But there was a difference: to join forces with the Shenzhou-17 crew, we were taking over the space relay baton of our 'Shenzhou family,' thinking more of how to run our leg of the race well, and were filled with responsibilities and expectations. While joining forces with the Shenzhou-19 crew, we were handing over the baton, thinking how to help them quickly adapt to space life and start working faster, our hearts filled with both hopes and reluctance to leave. Every space meeting with other crews was unforgettable, with the reluctance and sadness when parting, but also the joy and happiness of coming together. This is wonderful. As always, China's space Program is always worth looking forward to," he said.

Shenzhou-18 astronaut compares China's manned space program to "relay"