China's express delivery volume rises as services get faster

China's annual express delivery volume surpassed 150 billion parcels by Oct. 11, 2025, reaching the milestone 37 days earlier than in 2024, the State Post Bureau said.

Small packages connect cities, industries and online and offline markets, with their rapid flow reflecting the vibrant pulse of China's economy.

The movement of packages highlights the enormous potential of China's domestic market.

An aerial drone photo taken on Aug. 20, 2025 shows a drone delivering a parcel over Shushan District of Hefei city, east China's Anhui Province. (Xinhua/Huang Bohan)

Recently, Kurban Mehmut, a villager from Bayingolin Mongolian Autonomous Prefecture in northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, received a box of rice, flour and cooking oil that he had ordered online.

Thanks to a collective shipping model that integrates resources across transportation, sorting and delivery processes, free shipping to Xinjiang has become a reality. Today, over 80 percent of products on e-commerce platform JD.com are available for free delivery to the region, and the number of orders from Xinjiang this year has more than doubled year on year.

In the first half of this year, express delivery revenue and parcel volume in China's central and western regions rose by 13.6 percent and 25.5 percent year on year, respectively, well above the national average. Once a weak link, logistics services in remote areas are now emerging as a new growth driver.

The movement of parcels reflects the strong momentum of new quality productive forces. Since June, an outlet of Chinese courier giant ZTO Express in Nanchang, east China's Jiangxi Province, has deployed 20 new energy autonomous delivery vehicles, serving 30 nearby communities.

Since their launch, the outlet's average daily delivery volume has increased by more than 20 percent year on year, said Li Feng, head of the outlet. To date, over 250 outlets of ZTO Express nationwide have operated more than 1,000 driverless vehicles, which have collectively traveled more than 10 million kilometers.

The flow of parcels also reflects the effectiveness of China's macroeconomic policies.

This year, China has continued to roll out policies to expand domestic demand and stimulate consumption. China's consumer goods trade-in program has been expanded to include more product categories, driving sustained growth in express delivery volume and accelerating the transformation and upgrading of the industry.

An official from the State Post Bureau said China's postal and express delivery industry, with extensive domestic and global networks, has effectively connected production, distribution, circulation and consumption, providing strong support for the smooth circulation of the national economy.

Going forward, the industry will accelerate the development of new quality productive forces through scientific and technological innovation, and play a bigger role in promoting high-quality economic growth and building a unified national market, according to the official.