Tough rules for delivery

Workers at a delivery service sort parcels in Hangzhou, Zhejiang province. [Photo/China Daily]

A draft regulation, published on Monday by the legal authorities of the State Council, China's Cabinet, aims to better regulate express delivery companies to protect the interests of customers and promote the orderly and healthy development of the industry.

The draft is soliciting public opinions until Dec 15. It says domestic express delivery companies face fines of up to 50,000 yuan ($7,800) or having their licenses suspended and even revoked if they leak or illegally sell customers' personal information, and engage in such misconduct as mishandling packages.

Such measures are necessary steps toward regulating the express delivery industry which is booming with the ever-growing popularity of online shopping. Figures from the State Post Bureau show that the delivery sector has realized an annual growth of more than 50 percent over the past five years, and almost 20 billion parcels are expected to be delivered in 2015.

The enormous delivery demand is a result of the remarkable growth in e-shopping in recent years. However, the service quality of delivery companies and their privacy protection for customers still leaves much to be desired.

It is not rare for customers' personal information to be leaked via couriers or their companies or illegally sold for commercial purposes. And there have been customer complaints about the damage caused to their purchased articles, from which they usually cannot gain compensation because of the lack of explicit regulations defining the responsibilities of the delivery companies.

These problems call for stricter rules and greater efforts, to ensure not only the healthy development of the delivery sector itself, but also the sustainability of e-commerce as a growth point for a consumption-driven economy.

It is hoped the implementation of new rules and their enforcement will guarantee a sound and reliable delivery sector.