On January 8, a ceremony was held in Beijing to inaugurate the UAV (unmanned aerial vehicle) subsidiary of China Post Group Corporation Limited. Chairman Liu Aili of China Post Group and relevant officials from the Ministry of Finance, Civil Aviation Administration of China, the Central Air Traffic Management Committee, and Changping District People’s Government of Beijing Municipality jointly unveiled the new company.

Liu Aili pointed out at the ceremony, China Post has the advantages and practical experience in developing low-altitude logistics. It boasts a huge nationwide logistics network and rich operational experience, and possesses various application scenarios in exploring low-altitude logistics and a sophisticated logistics service system. Since 2016, China Post has launched drone pilot applications in 14 provinces across the country, providing transportation and distribution services in mountainous areas, pastoral areas, rural areas and on islands. By establishing the UAV company, China Post is concretely implementing the national strategies, strategically accelerating the development of low-altitude logistics business, and boosting the long-term competitiveness of its parcel, express and logistics business in the market. China Post is confident that it will provide its users with differentiated, high-end and exemplary logistics services and achieve large-scale operation of low-altitude logistics by fostering a new intelligent operation model and by the smart empowerment of such unmanned facilities as drones, unmanned vehicles and unmanned warehouses.

Since its pilot drone delivery service was launched in 2016, China Post has gradually built a “1 plus 3 plus N” low-altitude transportation network system with drones, formulated technical indicators and construction processes for various drone models that meet flight requirements, and established a resource bank of drone models. It has also constantly expanded various drone operation scenarios, carried out pilot applications in each scenario, and steadily promoted the development of low-altitude services. Consequently, it has preliminarily established a distinctive support system for drone transportation and delivery.

At the ceremony, China Post signed a strategic cooperation agreement with China Airport Construction Group Corporation, and cooperation agreements with Tianjin Binhai General Aviation Airport of CITIC Offshore Helicopter Co., Ltd. and Korla Airport of Tianyu Hangtong Technology Co., Ltd., aiming to jointly build a low-altitude intelligent logistics system, and collaboratively develop and construct low-altitude logistics infrastructure, so that China Post can accelerate fostering and developing its low-altitude logistics distribution network, and ensure the sites and ground support facilities for the take-off, landing, and parking of postal drones.

As a wholly-owned subsidiary of China Postal Express & Logistics Co., Ltd., the company has a registered capital of 100 million yuan (about 13.64 million US dollars). Committed to the research and development, manufacturing and operation of intelligent drones, the company covers the fields of low-altitude logistics services, artificial intelligence hardware integration and industrial internet applications, and strives to promote the deep integration of postal logistics and unmanned applications, and provide core support for the innovation and development of the logistics industrial chain.