We must aid promotion of this essential social benefit

Is it worth building an express delivery logistics system in rural areas? Should it be a profitable move for companies, or an unprofitable but necessary measure to be carried out by the government? Or is there a way to earn money and also benefit rural residents?

These are the questions that have confused me since I started following the story about the promotion of express delivery in rural areas.

When authorities began promoting rural express delivery in 2014, it was seen as a "mission impossible" because no profit was being made.

Villages are usually scattered across large areas, with a limited number of residents compared with cities, which raises the cost of delivery.

A courier in Beijing's central district collects and delivers about 200 parcels a day, covering no more than five communities within a couple of minutes' walking distance. However, a courier in a rural area may travel to two, three or even more villages more than a few hours drive away to handle the same number of parcels as their city counterpart. And it takes days.

In addition, traditionally, rural residents are poorer and less willing to spend than their urban counterparts. Fewer packages means less profit.

I received some answers in Tonglu county, Zhejiang province, the home of China's private express delivery initiative. There, a company started by the local government and partnered by private express delivery companies is delivering parcels to villages. The collective pickup and delivery model has lowered costs for each enterprise.

It is still too early to say if the cooperative will make a profit, but an official from the local post office told me that the number of parcels has doubled since the network was extended to villages. That surge shows there is an opportunity to make a profit.

The State Postal Bureau has urged private companies to cooperate with each other, and even with other sectors, to promote delivery in rural areas.

Since the issue was included in the 14th Five-Year Plan (2021-25), I understand that it is not only a business, but also a social benefit that should be provided to rural residents.

Various government organs, such as transport and postal services, and companies have been urged to increase cooperation to meet the goal.

National figures also show villagers' strong purchasing power. Data show that about one-third of parcels－20 billion items－were delivered to rural areas in the first half of the year, a rise of 30 percent from the same period last year.

I received answers from another perspective when met a tangerine farmer in the Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region. He told me that since the rural logistics network has been expanded, he can send his fruit all over the country quickly, greatly increasing his family's income.

Rural residents can sell agricultural produce via the rural express delivery network and become richer, so they spend more online and create more parcels to boost the network's development in rural areas.

It is a win-win solution, lifted by the logistics of rural express deliveries.