China's postal and courier sector handled a total of 51.9 billion parcels in the first quarter, representing a year-on-year increase of 4.5%. This steady flow of packages reflects robust consumer activity, with delivery services precisely meeting public demand and ensuring fresh goods reach households directly. Specifically, express delivery services accounted for 47.73 billion items, up 5.8% from the same period last year.
The courier industry saw stable market expansion during the quarter. Holiday periods such as New Year's Day and the Spring Festival effectively boosted online consumption, while delivery companies continued to enhance their service capabilities across multiple domains and scenarios. In Zhangzhou, Fujian, for instance, fresh bougainvillea potted plants are being delivered to homes via customized shipping solutions.
To prevent damage during transit—such as flowers falling due to bumps—couriers use straps to secure the plants during packaging. Additionally, because the bougainvillea pots are top-heavy, delivery companies arrange them uniformly during loading to avoid slipping or crushing.
Meanwhile, express firms are accelerating the construction of smart logistics facilities in locations like Lingshui in Hainan, Foshan, and Wuhan. Unmanned vehicles and drones are also being deployed in mountainous areas to transport fresh agricultural products like fruit and spring tea, significantly improving delivery efficiency.
The postal and courier sector demonstrated steady progress in the first quarter, with continued integration of smart technology and steady enhancement of fundamental capabilities. These improvements effectively support innovative development in goods circulation and provide solid backing for boosting consumption upgrades and industrial transformation.
Regional development within China's express delivery industry is becoming more balanced as service quality and efficiency rise. Data show that the share of express business volume in central and western China increased noticeably year-on-year in the first quarter, signaling a shift from scale expansion to service upgrading.
From January to March, eastern, central, and western regions accounted for 68%, 21.2%, and 10.8% of national express delivery volume, respectively. The central region's share rose by 1.7 percentage points compared to the same period last year, while the western region's share increased by 1.6 percentage points.
At the Xinjiang Postal Service's No. 1 intelligent cold storage facility, frozen products are neatly stored in a 150-cubic-meter warehouse. Staff can monitor and adjust temperatures remotely via mobile devices. With the cold chain network continuously improving, the variety of fresh products available for delivery has expanded, including traditional chilled meat and local specialty agricultural products. In Urumqi, the postal "express fresh" service handled nearly 500,000 items in the first quarter, surging more than 120% year-on-year.
As the fruit season approaches, products like Hami melons, apricots, grapes, and flat peaches will be shipped under refrigeration. Additional warehouses are planned to be built after October.
In Chongqing, parcel stations have been set up near residential communities, at neighborhood entrances, and inside local shops. Residents report greater convenience, noting that even during holidays or late returns from work, they no longer worry about missing package pickups—stations now operate 24/7.
These stations combine smart lockers with staffed service counters. They also offer utility bill payment services and provide door-to-door delivery for elderly residents.
China's transportation sector showed strong growth in major indicators during the first quarter. Total freight volume reached 13.19 billion tons, up 4.1% year-on-year. Road freight accounted for 9.88 billion tons, a 4% increase, while waterway freight reached 2.03 billion tons, rising 5.7%.
Port cargo throughput totaled 4.39 billion tons, growing 4%. Domestic and foreign trade throughput increased by 2.4% and 7.6%, respectively. Container throughput reached 89.64 million TEUs, up 8%, maintaining a rapid growth trend.
Cross-regional passenger flow reached 17.77 billion person-trips, increasing 2.2% year-on-year.
Transport infrastructure investment remained high, totaling 651.9 billion yuan in the first quarter. Highway and waterway investments accounted for 443.7 billion yuan and 49.3 billion yuan, respectively.
The transportation sector got off to a strong start in the first quarter, characterized by record-breaking Spring Festival travel, rapid growth in international freight, and sustained high levels of infrastructure investment. Passenger mobility remained vigorous, international freight showed resilience, and foreign trade container throughput at ports posted double-digit growth.
China's civil aviation industry achieved a solid start in the first quarter of 2026, with total transport turnover reaching 42.8 billion ton-kilometers, a 10.9% year-on-year increase. International routes stood out, with both passenger and cargo volume growing more than 10%.
International transport accounted for 38.3% of the total, up 2.1 percentage points from a year earlier.
Airlines carried 200 million passengers during the quarter, with domestic routes accounting for 180 million, up 6.1% year-on-year.
The extended Spring Festival holiday, which was one day longer than previous years, boosted travel demand. Many passengers opted for multiple trips before, during, and after the holiday, contributing to rapid growth in air travel.
International routes carried 20.819 million passengers, a 10% increase. Although passenger volume on West Asian routes declined due to regional tensions, routes connecting China with Central Asia and Europe saw significant growth in both passenger numbers and seat occupancy rates. The steady recovery of international flight networks, coupled with visa-free policies and facilitation measures, supported a rebound in tourism, family visits, and business travel, accelerating growth in the international market.
The air cargo market also maintained rapid growth in the first quarter, driven by optimized consumption patterns and new business models. High-value goods such as cross-border e-commerce shipments, high-end manufacturing products, and fresh cold-chain items saw strong demand, boosting international freight.
Airlines transported 2.452 million tons of cargo in the first quarter. Domestic air cargo reached 1.347 million tons, up 3.3%, while international air cargo totaled 1.105 million tons, surging 17.6%.
International freight accounted for 45.1% of total cargo volume and 80.3% of cargo turnover, increasing by 3.2 and 2.3 percentage points, respectively, from the same period last year. The international segment served as the main driver of growth in the air cargo market.
The rapid expansion of international air freight was attributed to China's ongoing efforts to advance high-level opening-up, with strong export growth from regions such as Jiangsu-Zhejiang-Shanghai, Guangzhou, Shenzhen, and Zhengzhou. Rising demand for high-timeliness logistics—including high-end manufacturing, cold-chain fresh products, and cross-border e-commerce—also fueled the uptick.
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