China’s consumer logistics booms on rural demand, new delivery models

China's consumer logistics sector is expanding in both quality and scale, with lower-tier markets unleashing fresh vitality as innovative delivery models reshape the retail landscape, official data released Friday showed.

The national social logistics volume grew 5.0 percent year-on-year in the first seven months of the year, according to the data. Within that total, logistics volume for goods belonging to units and residents rose 3.7 percent, reflecting steady improvement in consumption-related logistics demand as policies to expand domestic demand gradually take effect.

The upgrading of rural logistics infrastructure is accelerating this trend.

In Weihai City, east China's Shandong Province, the harvest season for green-skin figs is underway. Local authorities have opened dedicated farmer bus lines, turning carriages into mobile fresh-produce transfer stations that carry newly picked fruit directly from fields to urban markets.

"This farmer express bus line originally had 40 stops. Now it has been compressed to 9 stops, covering a total distance of 25 kilometers," said Jiang Liming, driver of the farmer express bus line in Weihai.

Similar initiatives are operating in southwest China's Guizhou and northeast China's Heilongjiang Province, where dedicated bus routes and vehicles combining passenger transport, freight delivery, and postal services have created convenient logistics corridors between urban and rural areas, ensuring smooth circulation of goods.

Data show that the structure of urban and rural consumption-related logistics demand is further optimizing.

From January to July, retail sales in rural areas grew 2.4 percent year on year, outpacing urban areas by 1.3 percentage points. Rural retail sales accounted for 39.1 percent of total consumer goods retail sales, up 0.3 percentage points from the same period last year. In July, the rural business volume sub-index of China's electronic commerce logistics index remained at a high level, indicating that logistics demand in lower-tier markets is accelerating.

The integration of online and offline channels is also expanding the space for consumer logistics. Online retail sales of goods rose 4.6 percent year on year in the first seven months, 3.5 percentage points faster than overall retail sales of goods, supporting steady growth in electronic commerce logistics operations.

"In July, the year-on-year increase of the total business volume index of China's electronic commerce logistics exceeded 20 percent. New models such as instant delivery are flourishing. The growth rates of online retail sales of food products, retail sales of warehouse membership stores, and retail sales of unmanned stores all exceeded double digits, showing a rapid growth trend," said He Hui, vice chairman of China Federation of Logistics and Purchasing.

China’s consumer logistics booms on rural demand, new delivery models

A Chinese UN envoy urged Israel to withdraw from Syrian territory and respect its sovereignty after condemning Israeli attacks at a Security Council meeting Thursday.

Sun Lei, China's deputy permanent representative to the United Nations, said the Golan Heights was internationally recognized as occupied Syrian territory and that parties concerned must implement the 1974 Agreement on Disengagement between Israeli and Syrian Forces.

"China condemns Israel's attacks on Syria and calls on all parties to genuinely respect Syria's sovereignty, independence, unity and territorial integrity. The Golan Heights is internationally recognized as occupied Syrian territory. The parties concerned are obligated to implement the 1974 Agreement on Disengagement between Israeli and Syrian Forces. Israel should withdraw from Syrian territory as soon as possible," said Sun Lei.

The Security Council meeting addressed Syria's political transition and humanitarian situation, as the country experiences its largest voluntary return movement in more than a decade.

Nearly 2 million internally displaced Syrians and more than 1.7 million refugees have returned home since December 2024, according to United Nations figures, although humanitarian needs inside the country remain high.

Sun said Syria's transitional authorities should seize the opportunity to strengthen governance, pursue an inclusive political transition and accelerate economic reconstruction.

He said the process should be Syrian-led and Syrian-owned, respect ethnic and religious differences, and protect the rights and interests of all groups equally.

Sun also said terrorism remained a major threat and urged Syria's transitional authorities to take firm action against all international terrorist organizations listed by the Security Council.

After more than a decade of conflict, Sun said Syrians did not want the country to be drawn back into war, adding that stability in Syria would help improve the broader situation in the Middle East.

China is ready to work with the international community to help Syria achieve security and development and promote an early return of peace and stability in the Middle East, he said.

Chinese envoy urges Israel to withdraw from Syrian territory