ID requirement adopted for deliveries

: 0 Comment(s)Print E-mail China Daily, August 24, 2011

Adjust font size:

The Ministry of Public Security is proposing to introduce real-name registration for express deliveries in the country, following the example of Zhejiang province's Shaoxing county.

Yuantong Express Company.[File photo]

According to a report by the Hangzhou-based Qianjiang Evening News on Monday, the Ministry of Public Security will hold a conference in Shaoxing county later this year to promote the real-name registration of express deliveries.

That decision followed a parcel explosion in an office of the Yuantong Express Company in downtown Hangzhou, Zhejiang's provincial capital, on Aug 14. The explosion slightly injured two female employees.

The incident raised concerns about the lack of supervision over the country's fast-growing express delivery industry.

The exact date of the conference is yet to be confirmed.

The Zhejiang Narcotics Control Association imposed a real-name registration system among the 25 express delivery companies in Shaoxing on June 10, 2010, aimed at cracking down on drug trafficking.

"The procedures are the same even when we collect mail or parcels from the customers. We would rather not do business with the customers if they refuse to show identity cards," said a manager, surnamed Fang, at Shentong's Shaoxing branch.

"For corporate customers, most of which are textile companies based in Shaoxing, we first of all write clearly in the contracts what kind of products they cannot send," said Fang.

"But even if they are regular customers, we still ask that a staff member show his identity card and sign his real name on the express notes," she added.

Xinchang county, which neighbors Shaoxing county, has introduced similar measurements.

Yu Zhuoping, customer manager of Shentong Express Xinchang branch, said workers there ask customers to present their identity cards before sending any mail.

"For safety's sake, we will open every letter or parcel. For any parcels that we find to be suspect, we will ask the senders to come to our sales lobby with a safety certificate," said Yu.

"Although the procedures seem a little bit complicated, we have received few complaints," she said.