The growth of cross-border logistics demand drives Chinese express delivery companies to accelerate the expansion of their global networks

With the acceleration of global economic integration and the vigorous development of industries such as manufacturing and e-commerce in China, Chinese express delivery companies are constantly advancing on the path of internationalization.

According to data from the State Post Bureau, from January to July, the cumulative volume of international/Hong Kong, Macao, and Taiwan express delivery services in China reached 2.36 billion pieces, a year-on-year increase of 19.2%, demonstrating strong development momentum.

Behind this impressive set of data is the comprehensive breakthrough of Chinese express delivery companies in overseas markets, from network construction to service upgrading, from model innovation to local deep cultivation. Industry leaders such as JD Logistics, SF Express, Jitu, and Cainiao continue to make efforts, jointly outlining a clear trajectory for Chinese companies to go global.

Against the backdrop of intensified competition in the domestic express delivery industry, Chinese express delivery companies with strong capabilities tend to reap more incremental gains and higher profits from the global market. According to the Huajing Industry Research Institute, the global cross-border logistics market is expected to reach nearly 20 trillion yuan by 2025. Faced with this huge market, Chinese express delivery companies are accelerating their pace of "going global".

On August 14th, JD Logistics released its 2025 interim performance report, which showed that in the first half of the year, the company achieved a revenue of 98.53 billion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 14.1%; During the period, the profit was 2.96 billion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 15.3%, of which the integrated supply chain customer revenue was 50.11 billion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 19.9%, becoming the main driving force for growth.

This is closely related to the frequent internationalization of JD Logistics. In June of this year, JD Logistics launched its delivery business in Saudi Arabia, launching its self operated express delivery brand JoyExpress and building an integrated supply chain service network covering cross-border transportation, customs clearance, local transportation, and more. At the same time, the fleet size of JD Airlines continues to expand. As of June 30th, 10 self owned all cargo planes have achieved normal operation and opened multiple international freight routes from Shenzhen, China to Bangkok, Thailand, further enhancing the timeliness and transportation capacity of cross-border logistics.

SF Express is also unwilling to fall behind. According to the June 2025 Express Logistics Business Briefing released on July 18th, SF Express achieved a revenue of 19.962 billion yuan in express logistics in June, a year-on-year increase of 14.24%; Achieved a business volume of 1.46 billion tickets, a year-on-year increase of 31.77%; The supply chain and international business revenue was 6.292 billion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 10.93%.

As the largest comprehensive logistics service provider in Asia, SF Express is continuously enhancing its international competitiveness and strengthening its supply chain service capabilities. Since the beginning of this year, SF Express has implemented an activation business strategy, increased authorization and incentives for frontline businesses, leveraged its global network advantages and diversified business layout, and achieved dual growth in revenue and business volume.

On June 26th, SF Express raised approximately HKD 5.9 billion through H-share placement and issuance of convertible bonds by its subsidiaries, setting a record for the largest refinancing scale in the logistics industry of the Hong Kong Stock Exchange in the first half of 2025. According to the announcement, the two fundraising plans will be used to enhance the group's international and cross-border logistics capabilities, research and develop advanced technologies and digital solutions, etc., which will help SF Express further enhance its international competitiveness and accelerate the expansion and optimization of its global network.

Chinese express delivery companies that are accelerating their international development are not limited to JD.com and SF Express.

In the first half of this year, Jitu Express continued to make efforts in the Southeast Asian market and achieved remarkable results. The main operating data for the second quarter and first half of 2025 recently released by Jitu Express shows that in the first half of the year, Jitu Express's package volume in Southeast Asia increased by 57.9% year-on-year to 3.23 billion pieces; The daily average package volume is 17.7 million pieces. Among them, the package volume in the second quarter was about 1.69 billion, a year-on-year increase of 65.9%, and the growth rate set a single quarter record since the company went public.

The achievement of this result is mainly due to the continuous deepening of strategic cooperation between Jitu Express and mainstream e-commerce platforms, local brands, and customers from various industries in the region, achieving win-win growth. On the one hand, by continuously deepening strategic cooperation with mainstream e-commerce platforms, local brands, and customers from various industries in the region, Jitu has successfully seized the development opportunities of the Southeast Asian e-commerce market; On the other hand, in order to support business expansion, Jitu continues to increase its infrastructure investment in Southeast Asia. As of the end of June, the number of Jitu branches has increased by 700 to 10500 compared to the end of last year, and the number of mainline vehicles has increased by 800 to 5400, significantly improving package processing capacity and network carrying capacity.

Jitu, which is thriving in the Southeast Asian market, is now looking towards a broader international market. Recently, a B767-300 all cargo plane loaded with goods departed from Meilan International Airport in Haikou, Hainan and headed towards Ben Gurion International Airport in Tel Aviv, Israel, marking the official launch of the "Haikou Tel Aviv" international cargo charter flight route for Jitu and further expanding its business territory in the Middle East.