China Unveils 2030 Targets for Smart and High-quality Postal and Express Delivery Industry

According to official industry updates released on July 29, China’s State Post Bureau held a special press conference to launch and interpret the newly issued 15th Five-Year Plan for the Development of the Postal Industry. Jointly released by the State Post Bureau, the National Development and Reform Commission and the Ministry of Transport, the policy document sets clear quantitative development targets for the sector up to 2030.

The blueprint outlines substantial industrial growth projections for the end of 2030. The total business revenue of China’s postal industry is expected to reach 2.4 trillion yuan, with express delivery business revenue hitting 2 trillion yuan and annual express delivery volume rising to 270 billion parcels. The plan defines 12 core assessment indicators across five dimensions including industrial scale, service capacity, network layout, technological innovation and industrial governance, forming a comprehensive high-quality development evaluation system.

Key operational and service benchmarks have been specified to upgrade grassroots and cross-border delivery capabilities. The 72-hour on-time delivery rate for express services in key regions will be lifted to 88 percent. The international express network will expand coverage to 110 countries and regions. The proportion of administrative villages equipped with integrated village-level delivery and logistics service stations will reach 90 percent. Leading express enterprises included in the industry’s top concentration index will maintain an annual R&D investment growth rate of no less than 8 percent, while the full automation rate of large-scale express sorting centres will increase to 88 percent.

Technological innovation serves as the core driving force for industrial upgrading during the 15th Five-Year Plan period. The integration of artificial intelligence and postal services has been designated as a key development priority. The industry will expand unmanned drone delivery scenarios to meet high-value and time-sensitive logistics demands, especially in mountainous, island and high-altitude areas with restricted ground transportation conditions. Standardised drone landing platforms will be constructed at urban delivery outlets and village-level service stations to support large-scale low-altitude logistics operations.

Intelligent transformation will be advanced across the entire delivery chain. The sector will accelerate the popularisation of smart terminals and intelligent management systems, upgrading full-process intelligent monitoring and dynamic scheduling capabilities. In-depth exploration of logistics big data will support accurate judgement of consumption trends, logistics operation status and macroeconomic performance, providing reliable data support for governmental decision-making, enterprise operational arrangement and market regulation.

The postal industry will fully implement innovation-driven development strategies to foster new productive forces. Specialised AI technology research and development centres will be deployed to coordinate industrial development and operational security. Multiple authorities will jointly improve supporting policies, industrial regulations and standard systems to continuously expand practical application scenarios for emerging technologies. The systematic optimisation of technology, network and service systems will further consolidate the modernisation and internationalisation of China’s postal and logistics industry.