China's express delivery sector expands fast in February

BEIJING - China's express delivery sector saw fast growth in February, with double-digit increases in business revenue and volume, official data showed.

Delivery firms handled 2.76 billion parcels last month, up 38.7 percent year-on-year, according to the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC).

Gross business revenue stood at 35 billion yuan ($5.2 billion) in February, up 21 percent from a year earlier, the data showed.

In the first two months of this year, combined business revenue rose 20.3 percent year-on-year to 94.7 billion yuan, while the number of parcels handled gained 21.9 percent to 7.3 billion.

The express delivery industry has been boosted by booming e-commerce in the country. Online retail sales maintained robust growth in the first two months, up 13.6 percent year-on-year, with physical commodity sales rising 19.5 percent, according to official data.