CIRCULAR OF THE STATE COUNCIL CONCERNING THE APPROVAL AND TRANS-MISSION OF THE REQUEST FOR INSTRUCTIONS OF THE ADMINISTRATIVE COMMISSIONFOR FOREIGN INVESTMENT AND THE MINISTRY OF POSTS AND TELECOMMUNICATIONS ONFORBIDDING ANY UNITS OR FOREIGN BUSINESSMEN TO ENGAGE IN EXPRESS DELIVERYOF DOCUMENTS
CIRCULAR OF THE STATE COUNCIL CONCERNING THE APPROVAL AND TRANS-MISSION OF THE REQUEST FOR INSTRUCTIONS OF THE ADMINISTRATIVE COMMISSIONFOR FOREIGN INVESTMENT AND THE MINISTRY OF POSTS AND TELECOMMUNICATIONS ONFORBIDDING ANY UNITS OR FOREIGN BUSINESSMEN TO ENGAGE IN EXPRESS DELIVERYOF DOCUMENTS
Important Notice:
This English document is coming from the "LAWS AND REGULATIONS OF THE
PEOPLE'S REPUBLIC OF CHINA GOVERNING FOREIGN-RELATED MATTERS" (1991.7)
which is compiled by the Brueau of Legislative Affairs of the State
Council of the People's Republic of China, and is published by the China
Legal System Publishing House.
In case of discrepancy, the original version in Chinese shall prevail.
Whole Document
CIRCULAR OF THE STATE COUNCIL CONCERNING THE APPROVAL AND TRANS-
MISSION OF THE REQUEST FOR INSTRUCTIONS OF THE ADMINISTRATIVE COMMISSION
FOR FOREIGN INVESTMENT AND THE MINISTRY OF POSTS AND TELECOMMUNICATIONS ON
FORBIDDING ANY UNITS OR FOREIGN BUSINESSMEN TO ENGAGE IN EXPRESS DELIVERY
OF DOCUMENTS IN OUR COUNTRY
(January 19, 1981)
The State Council has approved the Request for Instructions on Forbidding
Any Units or Foreign Businessmen to Engage in Express Delivery of
Documents in Our Country sent by the Administrative Commission for Foreign
Investment and the Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications. It is hereby
transmitted to you for implementation.
REQUEST FOR INSTRUCTIONS ON FORBIDDING ANY UNITS OR FOREIGN BUSINESSMEN TO
ENGAGE IN EXPRESS DELIVERY OF DOCUMENTS IN OUR COUNTRY
International express delivery (also called special delivery of documents
in some countries and regions) is a new postal service emerged in the
world only over 10 years ago. By this postal service, express delivery
mail from the addresser shall be transported with schedule flights,
through closely-link transport means on the way, to the post office at the
destination, where it is immediately delivered to the addressee by hand.
This service is characterized by convenience, speed, timeliness and
safety. The delivery is much faster than ordinary air mail, though the
charge is also higher. Providing express delivery not only offers good
service to customers, but also increases the revenues. Since July 15,
1980, the Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications of our country has
established express delivery with more than a dozen countries in the
world. With the development of our national economy, this service will
further develop between China and other countries in the world.
Sometime in April and May, 1980, DHL-SINOTRANS Ltd. In Hong Kong held
discussion with the Guangzhou Municipal Post Office in Guangdong Province
about the express delivery service. In August and September the same year,
Dunhao Company in the United States also held discussions with the
Consultation and Technical Service Company of the Ministry of Foreign
Trade for the same purpose. They were, in fact, asking for the
establishment of "a post office" by foreign private enterprises in order
to handle international mails in the Chinese territory. According to their
plan, the Chinese Customers should observe their relevant regulations and,
moreover, they would fix their own charge standards, in which our postal
service has no right to intervene. This would not only infringe upon our
sovereignty, right of postal management and administration and economic
interests, but also cause disorder in the administration of post and
communications in our country. Therefore, no foreign private enterprises
are allowed to engage in the business of postal communication and express
delivery of documents. In this connection, the Ministry of Posts and
Telecommunications, with the agreement of the Administrative Commission
for Foreign Investment, notified the Administration for Postal Affairs of
Guangdong Province and the Ministry of Foreign Trade on July 23, 1980 and
September 12, 1980 respectively that they must stop their negotiations
with the relevant companies on the ground that the delivery of letters,
printed matters, documents and materials must all be administered and
managed by the General Post Office of the Ministry of Posts and
Telecommunications.
In late October, 1980, American ALTMAN Co. of the United States started
the service of express delivery of documents at the International Club in
Beijing without authorization. American ALTMAN Co. has rented an office
from the club and hired a staff member from the Friendship Commercial
Services Company of Beijing Municipality in charge of the actual business.
Up to now, several documents have arrived at the Beijing Civil Aviation
Administration by special delivery from Paris, Hong Kong and the United
States and have been delivered to the addressees by the employee. The
purpose of the foreign private enterprises in vying for express delivery
service in China is to seize the business of express delivery of documents
between China and other countries and regions in the world. A consultant
of DHL-SINOTRANS Ltd. in the United States once said that the company was
eager to start the business of express delivery in China, mainly because
it wanted to be the first of such companies; it was ready to lose money on
the venture for first three to four years, but it expected to make big
money later. We hold that American ALTMAN Co.'s unauthorized business in
Beijing mentioned above must be stopped. At present, a law for postal
service has not been formulated in China and many units do not know that
the postal service in China is under unified management and
administration. In order to protect the unification of our postal service
more effectively in the future and forbid any enterprises or individuals
outside the postal department and any foreign businessmen to start the
business of special delivery of documents in China without authorization,
it is necessary to reiterate that any postal service which is run within
China or jointly run with other countries, including the inward or outward
delivery of letters, printed matter, documents and materials and special
delivery of documents, must be administered and managed in a unified way
by the Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications, which is responsible for
formulation of unified postal charges and various rules and regulations.
Other organs, enterprises or individuals may not engage in the business of
express delivery of documents in China. Foreign private businessmen in
particular shall not be allowed to have a hand in this line of business.
If nothing is inappropriate, it is requested that the above be approved
and transmitted to all the localities and departments for implementation.
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