Shunyi District's judiciary hopes that cases will be reduced as more overseas shopping platforms now offer direct delivery to China via companies like DHL and FedEx. (Photo : Reuters)
During an era in which drone technology is the fastest-growing sector in the aerodynamics industry, China's Alibaba Group has partnered with Shanghai YTO Express (Logistics) Co. on a three-day trial involving the home delivery of goods by drones.
It is a historic event for China that manifests American billionaire Jeff Bezos' drone-delivery idea for Amazon--just on a different side of the Atlantic Ocean.
The trial's first day was Wednesday, and distribution sites in the cities of Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou provide the infrastructure. Criteria have been stipulated by the partnership, which has designated 450 as the number of customers who will be serviced by the trial drones.
Drone delivery will only occur for buyers who are within a certain radius, and drones can only handle packages that weigh a maximum of 340 grams.
A pre-established product for the trial has even been selected: a specific brand of ginger tea that provides therapeutic relief from menstrual cramps.
However, research analyst Wang Xiaoxing does not believe that drones will replace China's delivery workers any time soon. Wang explained to China Daily on Wednesday that China's shoppers are spoilt in global terms.
He added: "Local players do not feel any pressure to adopt drones, and the regulations remain unclear."
Even though Shenzhen's Sf-express.com Inc. trialed an internal drone system from its headquarters in the Guangdong Province, the media has reported that this is China's first-ever public trial.
A representative of YTO Express told reporters that the company will embark on commercial trials that involve "professional researchers of airborne deliveries" in the future.
