At present, China’s international express delivery is the most important part of express delivery business. It is the main business of express delivery “giants” such as DHL, UPS, FedEx, TNT, ARAMEX, etc. The annual business volume is growing at a rate of 30%, playing a pivotal role in cross-border e-commerce trade.
International express delivery is the transportation between countries and regions. Compared with domestic cargo transportation, it has the following main characteristics.
(1) International express delivery involves international relations issues and is a highly policy-oriented foreign-related activity. International express delivery is an integral part of international trade. In the process of organizing cargo transportation, it is necessary to frequently establish direct or indirect extensive business contacts with foreign countries. Such contacts are not only economic, but also often involve international political issues. It is a highly policy-oriented foreign-related activity. Therefore, international express delivery is both an economic activity and an important foreign affairs activity.
(2) International express delivery is a long-distance transportation with many intermediate links. International express transport is transport between countries and regions. Generally speaking, the distance of transport is relatively long, and it often requires the use of multiple means of transport, multiple loading and unloading, and many intermediate links, such as transshipment, changing modes of transport, etc., passing through different countries and regions, and adapting to different laws and regulations of each country. If any of these links has a problem, it will affect the entire transportation process.
(3) International express transport involves a wide range of aspects and is complex and changeable. International express transport involves many departments at home and abroad, and needs to deal with cargo owners, transportation, commodity inspection agencies, insurance companies, banks or other financial institutions, customs, ports, and various intermediary agents in different countries and regions. At the same time, the laws and policies of various countries and regions are different, trade, transportation habits and business practices are different, financial and monetary systems are different, and political, economic and natural conditions will change, all of which will have a great impact on international express transport.
(4) International express transport is highly time-sensitive. Shipping import and export goods on time and delivering them to the destination in a timely manner are of great significance to the fulfillment of import and export trade contracts, meeting the needs of the commodity competition market, improving market competitiveness, and timely settlement of foreign exchange. In particular, some fresh goods, seasonal goods and highly sensitive goods require rapid transportation. Only by organizing supply in a timely manner can we improve the competitiveness of export goods and consolidate and expand the sales market. Therefore, international express transportation must strengthen the concept of time, compete for time, and win by speed.
(5) International express transportation is relatively risky. Due to the many links, long transportation distance, wide range of involvement, complex and changeable situations, and strong timeliness in international express transportation, changes in the international situation along the transportation route, social unrest, various natural disasters and accidents, as well as war, blockades, embargoes or piracy, etc., may directly or indirectly affect international express transportation, resulting in serious consequences. Therefore, international express transportation is relatively risky. In order to transfer the risk losses during transportation, all kinds of import and export goods and transportation tools need to apply for transportation insurance.