On August 13, 2019, Guo Longwei and Huang Shaofei, senior partners of ZhongYin (Chengdu), participated in the Meeting on Secondary Charge for Picking up Express Parcel in Villages and Towns of Sichuan Province held by Sichuan Provincial Consumer Protection Council (the “SPCPC”), in conjunction with Administration for Market Regulation of Sichuan Province and Sichuan Provincial Postal Administration. Provincial People’s Congress Deputies and Provincial CPPCC Members were invited to the Meeting, and 4 express service providers, namely STO, ZTO, YTO, and Yunda were summoned to the Meeting.

At the Meeting, Attorneys Guo Longwei and Huang Shaofei, as legal counsels to SPCPC, from a legal perspective, commented and analyzed on the illegal nature of the second charge for picking up express parcel, and according to the Contract Law, Law on Consumer Protection of Consumer Rights and Interests, General Rules of Civil Law, Criminal Law, Law on Administration of Tax Collection, Measures for Expression Market Administration, Postal Industry Standards - Express Service and other laws and regulations, clarified that express service providers are subjects of this tort, and that the “pickup fee” or “delivery fee” charged for picking up express parcel at township outlets is secondary charge, which infringes consumers' right of information, right of independent choice and right of fair trade and is obviously illegal. Moreover, express service providers are suspected of tax evasion by reducing express fee but charging pickup fee or delivery fee.

At the end of the Meeting, the representatives of the persons in charge of the four express service providers respectively said in their speeches that: they will, in strict accordance with the requirements set by the three departments at the Meeting, carry out internal rectification, immediately cease secondary charges for picking up express parcel at township outlets, strengthen internal management and supervision, and provide terminal outlets with preferential policies and financial subsidies to reduce the operation pressure on them and establish a long-effect operation mechanism.

As a professional legal service provider, ZhongYin (Chengdu) will provide better legal services to SPCPC in the future and assist it to give full play to its functions and provide better services and support to consumers in the province.