BEIJING — Despite the impact of COVID-19, China's courier industry ran smoothly in 2020 with a record business volume and a higher level of green development, according to an annual report released by the State Post Bureau.

The sector handled a record high of 83.36 billion parcels last year, a surge of 20 billion compared to 2019, the report reads.

During the period, business revenue reached 879.54 billion yuan (about $135.6 billion).

In the meantime, environmental protection efforts had paid off well with green development promoted for the entire courier delivery industry.

The usage rate of packaging tapes narrower than 45 mm reached 96.4 percent in the entire sector, according to the report.

The integration of the courier sector with e-commerce, modern agriculture and advanced manufacturing industries had also been deepened during the period.

For instance, online sales revenue of physical goods reached 9.8 trillion yuan with the support of the courier sector. The number accounted for 24.9 percent of the retail sales of social consumer goods, according to the report.

The report however pointed out that the industry should not ignore risks and challenges including increasingly prominent issues on safeguarding legitimate rights and interests of couriers, as well as deficient parcel delivery service networks in rural areas.