China welcomes U.S. decision not to extend Hong Kong-related national emergency

China welcomes a U.S. decision not to extend a Hong Kong-related national emergency, calling the move an important step in implementing the consensus reached during China-U.S. economic and trade consultations, the Chinese Ministry of Commerce (MOC) said Friday.

The emergency was declared in 2020 under the Executive Order 13936 signed by the U.S. president.

During China-U.S. economic and trade consultations in Madrid last year, the United States made commitments on issues including Hong Kong and investment. The United States recently confirmed to China that it would not extend the Hong Kong-related national emergency after its expiration in 2026 and that Executive Order 13936 will be terminated, the MOC spokesperson said.

Maintaining Hong Kong’s prosperity and stability serves the common interests of China and the United States, the spokesperson said, adding that the adjustment to the U.S. policy toward Hong Kong in a positive direction also meets the broader expectations of the international community.

China hopes the United States will honor relevant international conventions and the consensus reached by the two sides, respect China’s sovereignty and the rule of law in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR), and restore and strengthen normal economic and trade ties with Hong Kong, the spokesperson said.

Such efforts would contribute positively to building a constructive China-U.S. relationship of strategic stability, the spokesperson added.

A spokesman for the HKSAR Government also said on Friday that the U.S. decision marks an important step in implementing the consensus reached during consultations between China and the U.S.

The spokesperson said that safeguarding Hong Kong’s prosperity and stability serves the common interests of China and the United States, and also aligns with the general expectation of the international community.

The HKSAR government noted this positive shift in the U.S. policy on Hong Kong and looked upon the U.S. side to respect China’s sovereignty and the rule of law in the HKSAR, and resume and strengthen normal economic and trade exchanges with the HKSAR.

China’s postal sector handled a total of 108.89 billion parcels in the first half of the year, up 4.2 percent year on year, according to data released by the State Post Bureau on Friday.

Express delivery accounted for the lion’s share, with a volume reaching 100.38 billion, up 5 percent year on year.

As demand for their services booms, delivery companies have continued to deepen their collaborative development with advanced manufacturing firms, exploring innovative solutions.

Jiajiang County in Leshan City, southwest China’s Sichuan Province, is China’s primary production area for calligraphy and painting paper, accounting for more than 60 percent of the nation’s output. Distributing these products across the country requires significant logistical resources.

Express delivery providers have integrated warehousing centers into Jiajiang’s paper production facilities, equipping them with smart shelving and barcode-scanning outbound systems to achieve an ultra-fast response from order placement to goods dispatch. The collaboration has streamlined the entire supply chain from production, warehousing, e-commerce, and packaging to shipping and after-sales service.

It has also effectively resolved the efficiency and cost bottlenecks previously caused by the fragmented operations of manufacturing enterprises.

“In the past, we had to repeatedly travel back and forth between merchants and clients to pick up and deliver goods, which increased transportation costs and damage rates. Now, we provide one-on-one service directly to the express sorting center, completing the day’s workload on the spot,” said Huang Chao, general manager of ZTO Express Co., Ltd in Jiajiang County.

Since the express service was integrated into the factories, companies in the sector have seen their average daily shipment volume double from around 4,000 pieces to around 8,000, significantly reducing transportation costs and damage rates.

This year, the county plans to replicate this model in specialty industries such as ceramics, tea, and poultry and eggs, further unleashing the synergistic potential of industrial collaboration.

Wang Yuehan, director of the Industrial Economics Department at the Development Research Center of the State Post Bureau, said industry upgrading has helped bolster the efficiency and development the sector.

“In the first half of the year, industrial integration continued to deepen. The industry optimized and upgraded its delivery service offerings to precisely meet the differentiated needs of various consumer groups, effectively driving steady growth in express delivery volumes and providing a positive boost to the development of the real economy. In the second half of the year, as consumer potential is released and service areas are expanded, the industry’s momentum is expected to accelerate, and its overall development will continue to maintain a positive trend of steady progress and improving performance,” she said.