1. UPS Plans to Close 200 Sorting Centers in Five Years

On April 2nd, due to a decline in freight market demand, global express giant UPS (United Parcel Service) announced plans to close 40 sorting centers in the United States this year, with approximately 200 sorting centers expected to be closed over the next five years to reduce excess capacity and lower labor costs. UPS aims to save $3 billion by the end of 2028 through this initiative.

Source: UPS

2. Temu Opens New Site in Central Asia for the First Time

On April 2nd, under the umbrella of Pinduoduo, the cross-border e-commerce platform Temu successfully launched its site in Kazakhstan, marking its first site in Central Asia. Temu has now established 55 overseas markets globally, covering various countries and regions in Asia, Europe, North America, Latin America, Africa, and Oceania.

Recently, Temu also launched three new sites in Georgia, Mauritius, and Malta, located in West Asia, Africa, and Southern Europe, respectively. Among them, the Mauritius site is the second country site launched by the platform in Africa, following the introduction of the South Africa site earlier this year.

Source: NetEase Tech

3. 10% Growth in Asian Air Cargo Demand in February

On April 2nd, the Association of Asia Pacific Airlines (AAPA) reported that air cargo demand in Asia grew "due to commercial and e-commerce activities" in February. According to the traffic data released by AAPA for February 2024, international air cargo demand, measured in freight tonne kilometers (FTK), increased by 10.2% year-on-year. The offered freight capacity surged by 20.8%, mainly driven by the growth in bellyhold capacity of passenger aircraft.

Due to the rapid increase in capacity, the average international freight load factor for the month declined by 5.5 percentage points to 57.3%. AAPA remains optimistic about the air cargo industry in the coming months.

Source: AAPA

4. Alibaba International Station Updates Rules for Semi-Managed Order After-Sales Process

On April 2nd, Alibaba International Station announced changes to the after-sales process rules for semi-managed orders. Key points of the rules update include: upgrading the after-sales rules for semi-managed orders already launched on the international station, with all post-shipment disputes to be handled directly by the platform service team without the need for prior negotiation between buyers and sellers; pre-shipment dispute rules remain unchanged. Disputes initiated before April 1st will continue to be processed according to the 1.0 version of the semi-managed order after-sales process. Disputes initiated after April 1st will be handled according to the new after-sales process.

Source: Alibaba Group

5. SHEIN Logistics Park Receives International Zero Landfill Certification for Waste Management

On April 2nd, the international independent third-party testing, inspection, and certification organization TÜV Rheinland announced that the logistics park of SHEIN, an online retailer of fashion and lifestyle products, has obtained its Zero Landfill Waste Management System Certification (also known as "Zero Waste Factory" certification). This marks another practice of SHEIN in the field of green and sustainable development.

Source: SHEIN

6. Cainiao Withdraws IPO Application

On April 2nd, Alibaba Group announced that its logistics subsidiary Cainiao Smart Logistics Network Limited has withdrawn its application for initial public offering (IPO) on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange. Alibaba Group's Chairman of the Board, Eric Jing, also stated, "Considering the strategic importance of Cainiao to Alibaba and the significant long-term opportunities we see in building a global logistics network, we believe now is the right time for Alibaba to increase its investment in Cainiao."

Source: Alibaba Group

7. Ezhou Huahu Airport Cargo Flights and Cargo Volume Rank Top Four Nationwide

On April 2nd, it was announced that Ezhou Huahu Airport has opened a total of 14 international cargo routes, 48 domestic cargo routes, and 16 domestic passenger routes. The cargo throughput increased from 0 to 100,000 tons in 7 months, from 100,000 to 1 million tons in 3 months, and from 1 million to 3 million tons in less than 3 months, with a total of 398,000 tons, including 65,000 tons of international cargo.

The airport's cargo flights and cargo volume rank in the top four nationwide, with a maximum of 120 cargo flights taking off and landing per day and a cargo throughput of 3,000 tons. Next, the city will strive to build Ezhou Huahu Airport into an international free trade air port, make full efforts to apply for the establishment of a national-level comprehensive bonded zone, and create an international trade digital platform as a model for Ezhou.

Source: Air Cargo Information Express

8. Sinotrans Opens Shenzhen-Budapest Scheduled Cargo Flight Route

On April 2nd, a B767 all-cargo aircraft operated by Sinotrans took off from Shenzhen Bao'an International Airport (SZX) at 4:30 am on March 29th, carrying cross-border e-commerce products, precision equipment, and communication electronic goods. It is expected to arrive at Budapest Liszt Ferenc International Airport (BUD) in Hungary at 20:10 on the same day Beijing time.

This marks the official opening of the first scheduled cargo flight route from Shenzhen to Budapest, with the route expected to operate regularly every Wednesday, Friday, and Sunday. This is also an important measure for Sinotrans to continuously develop the "new carrier" business model and accelerate the formation of new productive forces.

Source: Sinotrans

9、Cross-Border E-commerce Imports and Exports Grow by Nearly 10% in January-February 2024

On April 2nd, it was reported that cross-border e-commerce imports and exports grew by nearly 10% in the first two months of 2024. After years of development, cross-border e-commerce, as a new business model, has become one of China's three major trade methods, along with general trade and processing trade, and has become a new driving force for boosting foreign trade growth.

Li Mingtao, Chief Expert of China International Electronic Commerce Center, stated that a large number of market entities have entered the field of cross-border e-commerce, including cross-border e-commerce platform enterprises, as well as a large number of small and medium-sized enterprises selling their products globally through cross-border e-commerce. Many traditional import and export enterprises have started to explore business growth through cross-border e-commerce as their second curve of business growth.

Source: CCTV.com

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