TECHNOLOGY

Chinese e- commerce giants and retailers are ushering in a new era of logistics services that will see packages delivered by drones, heralded by JD. com Inc’s new agreements in recent days with aviation companies, research institutions and local authorities to build the country’s largest drone network.

Domestic companies may have started drone deliveries later compared with foreign rivals such as Amazon, but they are expected to take the lead with the new system and apply it widely, while foreign multinationals are still researching the technology, experts said on Thursday.

As part of the strategy for pushing ahead with drone delivery, e- commerce retailer JD has signed cooperation contracts with China West Airport Group, Northwestern Polytechnical University and local authorities in Northwest China’s Shaanxi Province on Tuesday, with the aim of developing pilot projects, training staff and cultivating the next stage in drone delivery, according to a press release the company sent to the Global Times on Thursday.

The e- commerce platform is also offering 100 million yuan for winners of a competition to find the best solutions to introduce widespread drone delivery services in China, the press release said.

At the launch ceremony for the competition in Xi’an, Shaanxi where