CHINA’S overseas express delivery packages maintained robust growth momentum of more than 10 percent year on year in May, despite the pressure of US tariffs, the latest official statistics showed on Monday.
In May, the volume of express deliveries to international destinations and the Hong Kong and Macao special administrative regions (SARs), and the island of Taiwan, reached 310 million pieces, a year-on-year increase of 11.1 percent, according to statistics released by the State Post Bureau.
From January to May, the cumulative volume of express deliveries to and from international destinations, Hong Kong and Macao SARs, and Taiwan island totaled 1.66 billion pieces, up 22.4 percent year on year.
The robust growth in May was achieved as tariffs on US-bound packages from China took effect, without showing a slowdown, which analysts said showcased China’s resilience in foreign trade and the competitiveness of its products.
The United States significantly increased tariffs on US-bound packages — valued at $800 or less — from China, with 120-percent tariffs, or $100 per item, from May 2 to June 1, according to a US executive order on April 9. The 120-percent tariff was later reduced to 54 percent starting on May 14, while the $100 duty per item was retained, according to another executive order on May 12.
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Chinese exporters, including cross-border e-commerce businesses, are actively pursuing diversified export destinations, instead of a single market such as the US, Zhu Qiucheng, CEO of Ningbo New Oriental Electric Industrial Development, also an e-commerce industry practitioner, told the Global Times.
The growth in delivery of packages to international destinations was also in line with China’s foreign trade growth.
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China’s total goods trade in yuan-denominated terms rose to 17.94 trillion yuan ($2.5 trillion) in the first five months of 2025, up 2.5 percent year on year, according to data from the General Administration of Customs.
In May, China’s trade in goods reached 3.81 trillion yuan, up 2.7 percent year on year.
“The growth in trade with emerging markets and Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) partner countries is a strong testament to this,” said Zhu.
According to the Ministry of Commerce (Mofcom), trade with BRI partner countries rose by 4.2 percent in the first five months, while exports to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations climbed 9.1 percent and those to Africa jumped 12.4 percent, faster than China’s total foreign trade growth during the same period.
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China’s merchandise trade achieved growth in both volume and quality from January to May, with emerging markets contributing more to the expansion, He Yadong, Mofcom spokesman, said during a regular press briefing on Thursday, reaffirming China’s commitment to advancing high-level opening up.
“Amid a complex global environment, China’s foreign trade has demonstrated steady progress this year. Businesses have shown resilience and adaptability, while supportive government policies have shown positive effects, leading to both quantitative and qualitative improvements in trade. This reflects the unique resilience and vitality of China’s foreign trade sector,” He said.
He noted that China’s trade partnerships have become more diversified, with emerging markets contributing significantly more to growth in the first five months.
Zhu also noted that the export industry’s confidence lies in China’s supply chain advantages. “China now boasts the world’s most comprehensive supply chain, enabling businesses, especially e-commerce companies, to promptly meet customer demand and offer customized production,” said Zhu.
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“Following the China-US joint statement in Geneva on May 12, from our frontline perspective, our American clients are urgently seeking to import from China. Tariffs primarily impact US consumers the most. Meanwhile, we see that many US small and medium enterprises are facing challenges, as they rely on importing raw materials from China, and tariffs greatly threaten their survival,” said Zhu.
