Intelligent unmanned equipment and technologies are helping the Chinese express delivery industry to progress continuously and efficiently.
The automation rate of large-scale logistics and express delivery centers in the country has surpassed 90 percent, which effectively assists the industry in reducing costs and increasing efficiency, data released by the State Post Bureau (SPB) showed.
Meanwhile, according to the SPB, by the end of last year, China had established 1,300 large-scale logistics and express delivery processing centers above the designated size (with an annual revenue above 20 million yuan, or about 2.74 million U.S. dollars).
At a sorting center in Wujiang, east China's Jiangsu Province, parcels from across the country are sorted by unmanned forklifts and delivered to various smart sorting lines based on their categories, such as documents, small parcels, and large packages.
With smart technologies like visual recognition and artificial intelligence, an average of over 30 packages are quickly sorted and processed every second.
At the same time, unmanned devices are also transforming express delivery operations.
In a workshop in Anyang City, central China's Henan Province, workers are assembling unmanned delivery vehicles, with the production process for each vehicle completed in just 10 minutes.
"We've received orders for more than 20,000 vehicles since the beginning of this year, a tenfold increase compared to last year. They will be primarily operating in over 100 cities including Beijing and Shanghai, with 90 percent used in the express delivery sector," said Zuo Zan, production director of the workshop.
As order volumes increase, the pursuit of higher efficiency and lower costs has become the core demand in logistics and delivery sectors, prompting unmanned vehicle producers to continuously enhance technological innovation.
Unmanned techs boost growth of China's logistics sector
The Iranian government is focusing on public concerns and maintaining stable supplies of essential goods amid recent protests, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said in a televised interview on Sunday.
In the city of Karaj, northwest of the capital Tehran, daily life has largely continued as normal. A video filmed by a local resident on Sunday shows food stores open and grocery shelves fully stocked.
"This is the block near my home, and there are some food stores here. Daily life continues here. Last night we did not see many protests in Karaj. Right now the city is very safe. This is a grocery store close to my home. All the food is available; nothing is in shortage. Here are noodles and different types of beans. Here are dairy products, cheese, and yogurt. I also checked other grocery stores and didn't see any shortages. Everything is available," said local resident Ali Reza.
Iranian officials have described recent disturbances as acts orchestrated by the "enemy," including some carried out by well-trained and armed "terrorists." The incidents have caused casualties among security personnel and civilians, as well as property damage.
The Secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council Ali Larijani has directed authorities to severely punish the "terrorists."
Meanwhile, Iran's police chief Ahmad-Reza Radan said on Sunday that the police had raised alert levels and arrested several leaders of the troublemakers during the operations on Saturday.
President Pezeshkian noted in the interview that the normal demands of the Iranian people are reasonable and justified, but they must realize that triggering riots and carrying out terrorist acts are the enemy's attempts to undermine the country. He urged the public to remain vigilant.
Also on Sunday, Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf warned that Tehran would regard U.S. and Israeli bases and facilities in the Middle East as "legitimate targets" if Washington takes military action against Iran. His remarks followed media reports saying U.S. President Donald Trump is "seriously considering authorizing a strike" against Iran.
Iranian state media reported that at least 109 members of Iran's security forces have been killed in clashes since the protests began 14 days ago. Meanwhile, human rights groups based outside the country said the number of protesters killed has exceeded 200, though the figure could not be independently verified.
The protests initially erupted over a sharp depreciation of the rial and sweeping subsidy reforms. Iranian authorities have blamed the unrest on foreign-linked agents and sanctions imposed by the United States.
Iranian president says government focusing on ensuring supplies amid protests
