Section 2 Implementing the UPU Congress Strategy, Participating in the UPU Activities

The Chinese government, especially the postal administration of China has always attached great importance to the UPU Congress. China has been an active speaker in the general debate of each Congress, stating China's position on the questions in discussion and introducing the economic growth, the development and the achievements of the postal services in China. China takes a very positive attitude in contributing ideas and proposals to the guidance document on the strategic development which was passed by the Congress. Quite a number of proposals from China have been adopted by the Congress.

The development strategy formulated at the every Congress is the guidance for the common problems during the Process of the postal services development in the world. The congresses that China have attended, especially the 18th Congress, was held at the time when China was conducting reform and opening up and developing the commercial and market economy. The guiding principle of the postal strategy passed by the Congress fits the situation of the postal sector in China. The Chinese postal administration therefore actively implemented the strategy according to the situation of China. As a result, the development ideas have been largely enriched and the growth and reform in China postal sector were further promoted. For example, the "Seoul Postal Strategy" put forward such strategies as meeting the market and customers demand and improving the quality of the postal service. h stressed the reform in the postal management system. The analysis of the problems faced by the postal sector and the strategies proposed by Seoul Strategy fit the requirements of China post, and have the guiding significance for the development and reform of China Post. Since 1994, the Chinese postal administration has studied the problems in the postal sector, learned the rich thoughts in the Seoul Strategy, drawn experience from the postal administrations in Europe and America and facilitated the development and reform of the postal sector. After that, China Post had increased the capital investment, built a material transportation network and an integrated computer information network, pursued a central postal bureau system in an all-round way, aiming at the promotion of the China postal modernization. China Post and telecom sector had been separated in 1998 and the State Post Bureau was set up. The post office was set up in the provinces/autonomous regions (cities), the prefectures (cities) and the counties (cities). China Post has begun to run as an independent system of national economy. China Post will be put into the market to a further extent and seek the economic profit as well as the development from the tough market competition. In this way, the postal sector in China will be revitalized and its future is bright.

While taking part in each of the UPU Congress, answering the call from the UPU and implementing the postal strategies, China Post has also participated in the regular activities of the UPU. From 1979, China sent the delegation to the annual meeting of the Executive Committee (changed the name as Council of the Administration in 1994) every year, and actively took part in the management affairs of the UPU, such as administration, staff, finance and technical cooperation. China also participated in the study of international postal Problems' the tariff of letter post, the transition charges, the terminal dues and the service statistics, and attended the annual meeting of the Consultative Council for Postal Studies (changed the name as Postal Operations Council in 1974)of the UPU every year, as well as the various monographic studies from 1972. From 1976 on, China joined the Asia-Pacific Postal Union, a regional organization that has close business relationship with the UPU and has actively taken part in the meetings and exchanges.

International Seminar on
Post Operation and Management
Strategy held by UPU in Beijing
(1988)

Meanwhile, the UPU has organized a number of Asian and African countries to conduct the study of the postal communications in the countryside of China and the exchanges of the postal management experience in the cities. In April, 1979, we conducted the postal communications study in the rural area in coordination with the UPU, 15 postal officials from 10 countries from Asia- Pacific region: Bangladesh, India, Pakistan, Nepal, etc.; in October, 1980, 18 postal Officials from 15 countries and regions from Asia-Pacific region and Africa came to Beijing, Shandong, Jiangsu, Shanghai and Zhejiang to do the postal study, the countries were Bangladesh, Sudan, Tanzania, etc.; in 1982, the Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications together with the UPU organized 6 statistics experts of postal operation from Asia-Pacific regions to study in China with the financial support from the UNDP; in November, 1983, we held a seminar on the exchange of postal management in medium--sized city in Suzhou in cooperation with the UPU, the postal specialists came from the 9 developing countries: Korea, India, Malaysia, etc., and the 6 developed countries: the United States, Britain, etc, in September, 1985, China and the UPU held a joint seminar in Hangzhou on the Postal service in rural areas, the postal officials to the specialists came from the 6 developing countries: Malaysia. Pakistan. Philippines, etc. and the specialists came from the 5 developed countries: Germany. the United States. Britain, French, etc.; in August, 1991, China and the UPU held a workshop on the "management of the postal enterprises", the leaders from the Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications and the Vice Premier Zhu Rongji was Present at the meeting; in June, 1992, the seminar on postal market within the Asia-Pacific region was held in China, discussing the market competition, commercialization of the postal operation and regard the customers as the kernel; in August, 1993, China held the "International Seminar on the Postal Security" in China; in 1996, in commemoration of the start of the 100 anniversary of the modem post in China, the Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications held the "Seminar of the Development of the Postal Service in China in the 21st Century". China participated in the conference on the postal development and reform in 1996, and attended and chaired the strategic conference of the UPU in 1997.

In the last few years, the leaders of the Ministry of China Posts and telecommunications has strengthened the mutual visits on postal affairs with the related countries. They visited the United States, Japan, Australia, Russia and discussed the problems of the postal bilateral relations and the development in postal service, and established the closer relations with a lot of countries. In August, 1997, the president of New Zealand International Post, Alan Hunter and his group, visited China, introduced their successful experience of reform in the postal sector in New Zealand. Both parties decided to set up a trial point in Hebei Province. New Zealand is responsible for providing consultant service.

In recent years, The Director-General and the Deputy Director-General of the international Bureau of UPU, the Postmaster-General and Deputy Postmaster-General of United States Postal Service and the Germanic delegation visited China, They discussed the postal bilateral relations with the high-level leading members of the MPT, China, as well as the preparatory work for the 22nd UPU Congress with the leaders of China Organizing Committee.

In addition to all the above activities, the UPU has sent numerous experts to China to conduct consultative activities and offer training courses; at the 100 anniversary of the UPU, China issued a special stamp in commemoration of the event. On the UPU Day in 1984 and the World Post Day in 1986, and in the following World Post Days in later years, China has organized big activities to celebrate such a day and do publicity work to introduce the postal service in order to make the society understand the post industry better and provide support to the development of the postal industry.