From August 4 to 9, the State Post Bureau and China Post Group jointly held a postal training program on post cross-border business development and cooperation under the framework of the China-ASEAN Free Trade Area at Shijiazhuang Posts and Telecommunications Technical College (also China Post Group Training Center). Participants in the program consist of more than 40 business executives and strategic planning experts from postal enterprises, as well as management personnel in the fields of railway mail transportation, e-commerce and information technology. They come from 14 countries and regions including mainland China, Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Japan, Laos, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Timor-Leste, Vietnam, Hong Kong SAR, China and Macau SAR, China.

The training program centers on serving cross-border business and aims to strengthen cooperation in the Belt and Road Initiative among Southeast Asian countries and key postal operators along the Belt and Road. This program also aims to accelerate the integration of regional Customs clearance in the field of postal logistics, facilitating e-commerce business in the postal sector.  Besides, it will help promote the mail transport by rail, making the transportation of cross-border e-commerce items possible and easier. More importantly, this program has provided an opportunity for postal delegates from Southeast Asian countries to share their excellent experiences in the development of postal cross-border e-commerce, application of new technology and talent development.

The Belt and Road Initiative is an important strategic vision for China to promote all-round opening-up and explore win-win cooperation in the new era. Since the China-ASEAN Free Trade Area (CAFTA) was officially established on January 1, 2010, the trade between ASEAN and China has accounted for 13% of the global trade volume, becoming a huge economy covering 11 countries, 2 billion people, and with a GDP of 6 trillion US dollars. CAFTA is currently the world's most populous free trade area and the largest one among developing countries.

To keep pace with the developing trend of the times, China Post actively participates in the Belt and Road Initiative. It further increases its capacity investment, strengthens cooperation with postal operators in different countries and regions, international organizations as well as large e-commerce platforms, leads and boosts development and cooperation in cross-border business among postal operators of ASEAN countries, and has accomplished positive effects. At present, over 60% of light and small packets in China's cross-border e-commerce export market are consigned to postal channels. This training program has effectively enhanced the cooperation between China Post and the posts of Southeast Asian countries. It bears great significance in further improving the status of postal service as a main channel in cross-border e-commerce business.