China's post service business has witnessed an 11.6 percent average annual growth to exceed 80 billion yuan (US$10.64 billion) since the sector was separated from telecommunications business in 1998, according to a senior postal official.

Ma Junsheng, director of the State Post Bureau, told a Sino-US seminar on postal reforms and express delivery on Monday that the business volume of express delivery in China had reached 30 billion yuan, with more than 2,400 express service companies.

In 1998, China carried out the reform to separate postal and telecommunications businesses in the whole country, and in 2005 the government carried out further reforms to separate administration from business operation in the postal sector.

Under the new postal system, postal enterprises operate independently while administrative departments supervise the industry according to law, Ma said.

On January 29 this year, Ma said, the restructured State Post Bureau and the China Post Group had officially started operation. By September 4, all postal businesses at the provincial level have been separated from administrative functions.