For many Beijing residents, the upcoming APEC forum means a six-day holiday and—if the government has its way—hopefully bluer skies.
But the meeting of world leaders at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum in the Chinese capital in less than two weeks also could mean hiccups for online retail addicts, as it falls in the middle of China’s e-commerce version of Black Friday.
Alibaba Group Holding BABA +0.43% has for years on its online-shopping platforms pushed Nov. 11 — 1-1-1-1 — as Singles Day, a day when people buy stuff just for themselves. The event – which these days is also promoted by other Chinese companies, such as Alibaba rival JD.com JD -0.91% and phone maker Xiaomi Inc. – is widely touted as the biggest shopping day of the year in China.
In Beijing, the arrival of U.S. President Obama and hundreds of other APEC participants raises the possibility that they may not get their purchases until well after Singles Day has passed.
According to a State Post spokesman quoted in People’s Daily this week, express deliveries in Beijing and surrounding areas “cannot be guaranteed” during the forum.
Express delivery is China a massive business. As of this Oct. 20, the country’s system of express delivery workers have delivered some 100 billion items, according to postal bureau data cited by the official Xinhua News Agency. In Chinese cities, delivery wagons known as kuaidi schlepping goods purchased online to homes and offices are a common sight.
SF Express, a major Chinese express delivery company, said that it would be adopting airport-style regulations on its transport services in Beijing and surrounding areas from Nov. 1 to Nov. 12, and wouldn’t be transporting certain electronic items, notably batteries, easily combustible items and medical products or medicine. (Cellphones, cameras and laptops in their original packaging will still be accepted, though they will be delivered only over land.) The company said the moves were being taken in response to regulations by the government affecting transportation during APEC, and warned customers to expect delays of between three to five days.