Ma Junsheng, head of the State Post Bureau, is interviewed after the seventh plenary meeting of the first session of the 13th National People’s Congress at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on March 19, 2018.[Photo/Xinhua]

China’s express delivery industry will enjoy rapid development and a bright future, benefiting from the burgeoning e-commerce industry and the modernizing manufacturing and agricultural sectors, a senior official said on March 19.

More than 40 billion parcels were delivered last year and the industry has grown by an average of 42 percent per year in the past decade, Ma Junsheng, head of the State Post Bureau, said on the sidelines of the ongoing annual two sessions.

“The number of express packages delivered last year in China has surpassed the combined number of the United States, Japan and the European Union,” Ma said. “The industry has grown by more than 30 percent in 2018.”

Almost 30 billion parcels were generated by the e-commerce industry last year, according to Ma. “Buying goods online and waiting for delivery packages have become part of people’s daily lives,” he said.

The delivery sector can also benefit from the rapid development of cross-border e-commerce. The number of parcels delivered to other countries has reached a daily total of more than 6 million, he said.

While the overall prospects for the sector are excellent, Ma pointed out the industry is still facing problems, including inadequate services in rural areas and delivery channel safety.

The country will implement a complete real-name registration system in the delivery industry by the end of this year, which has been carried out in the railway and telecommunication sectors, he said.

“Currently, 83 percent of packages were mailed with users registering their real names,” Ma said.

SPB, together with public security authorities, will strengthen protection of user information and crack down on any information theft, he said.