“夺命快递”催生更严厉的监管

Safety will be improved in China's postal industry. The government made the pledge after a package leaking poison killed one person and injured seven others.

CRI's Li Jing has the story.

A man in east China's Shandong Province was poisoned to death,after receiving a parcel containing shoes, delivered by the Shanghai YuanTong Express.

It's believed the man's parcel became contaminated after another package leaked some lethal chemical during transport.

Following the case, the State Post Bureau of China launched a nationwide campaign to ensure diligent examination of parcels.

The Bureau will suspend couriers' delivery service or revoke their licenses if operators fail to examine parcels for prohibited items.

Wang Zeyi, deputy manager of YuanTong Express Central China Branch, says consumers and postal workers should both do more to prevent such tragedies from happening again.

"First, consumers should pay attention to the law. Prohibited items should not be delivered by express companies, but through professional channels. Second, couriers should conduct routine checks strictly according to procedures."

China's express industry has witnessed exponential growth in recent years thanks to the surging popularity of e-commerce, but it has exposed problems like poor service, the leaking of personal information, and lax supervision.

Qiu Baochang, the executive vice president of Beijing Law Association for Consumer Rights and Interests Protection, calls for stricter supervision over China's express service industry.

"In fact, regulations require express companies to check items, but some companies don't implement them well. Authorities should set up a responsibility system and make detailed regulations. Only when law and proper oversight are in place, and companies establish their credibility, can we improve the healthy development of the industry. "

Meanwhile, Qiu warns express companies not to expand blindly, but attach importance to quality.

"If they only pursue quantity, but neglect quality in their business expansion, they will hurt consumers' interests, and will also disturb fair competition among law-abiding companies. Authorities should draw up laws to punish lawbreaking companies to pay much higher price, so that they are pushed to be disciplined."

By the end of last year, there were 8-thousand registered courier firms, employing around 900-thousand people across the country.

China is expected to surpass the US to deliver the most express parcels this year, exceeding 9 billion, or roughly 6 to 7 per person.

For CRI, this is Li Jing.