China aims to increase its annual express delivery volume to 270 billion parcels by 2030 under a new five-year plan designed to expand service capacity, narrow urban-rural gaps and accelerate the intelligent and green transformation of the postal sector, the State Post Bureau of China announced on Wednesday.
The postal industry development plan for the 15th Five-Year Plan period (2026-30) was jointly issued by the State Post Bureau, the National Development and Reform Commission, as well as the Ministry of Transport, officials said at a news conference.
In line with the plan, the postal sector is expected to generate 2.4 trillion yuan ($355 billion) in annual business revenue and handle 290 billion postal and express delivery items by 2030. Express delivery revenue is projected to reach 2 trillion yuan, while annual express parcel volume is expected to rise to 270 billion.
By 2030, the postal sector is expected to play a greater role in supporting economic and social development, said Chen Kai, deputy director of the State Post Bureau. The plan seeks to narrow the disparities between regional and urban-rural delivery services while improving public satisfaction with postal services.
"The postal and express delivery network will become more integrated and intelligent, supported by stronger national logistics hubs, more efficient trunk transportation, wider last-mile coverage and a more extensive and resilient international delivery network," Chen said.
Great emphasis has been placed on improving rural delivery services. By 2030, at least 90 percent of China's administrative villages are expected to receive mail five or more times a week, and 90 percent will have local service stations providing postal, express delivery and logistics services.
It also aims to ensure that 88 percent of express parcels in key regions are delivered within 72 hours and to extend China's international express delivery network to 110 countries and regions.
The targets build on the rapid expansion of China's express delivery market. In 2025, express delivery companies handled 198.95 billion parcels, up 13.6 percent year-on-year, and generated nearly 1.5 trillion yuan in revenue, an increase of 6.5 percent, according to the bureau.
Liu Jiang, director of the strategic planning research department at the Development and Research Center of the bureau, said the market's expansion has been supported by policies that are aimed at boosting consumption.
"Since the beginning of this year, China's pro-consumption policies have continued to take effect, the consumer market has maintained steady growth, and the consumption structure has continued to improve, driving further expansion of the express delivery market," Liu said.
"Express delivery has become part of the lifeblood of cities and is closely connected with people's daily lives," Chen said. "It is everywhere, used by virtually everyone and operating around the clock."
Technology will play a key role in achieving the plan's targets. The bureau has issued guidelines on accelerating technological development and implementing the "AI Plus Postal and Express Delivery" initiative, encouraging delivery companies to use unmanned vehicles, where appropriate, to transport mail and parcels.
Hu Kai, spokesman for the bureau and head of its department of policies and regulations, said new technologies have promoted automation, digitalization and intelligent upgrades across the sector, improving delivery services and supporting higher-quality development.
During the 2026-30 period, the bureau will strengthen research centers focusing on artificial intelligence and work with relevant government departments to improve related policies, regulations and technical standards.
It will also promote the regulated use of unmanned delivery vehicles in line with local conditions while balancing development and safety.
The plan also calls for wider adoption of automation and environmentally friendly packaging. By 2030, the full automation rate at major processing centers is expected to reach 88 percent, while the use of green packaging by express delivery companies is expected to reach 80 percent.
