FedEx faces backlash in China

By Chen Qingqing Source:Global Times Published: 2019/9/4 21:58:40

US firm vows to handle problem shipment of knives


Workers unload packages at the FedEx Express station in Nashville, Tennessee, US. Photo: IC



FedEx has vowed to handle a problematic shipment correctly, after it allegedly violated Chinese postal delivery rules, but the US delivery firm has sparked outrage across the internet, as many web users urged an explicit explanation and strict rectification. 

FedEx allegedly handled a package bound for Hong Kong that contained controlled knives, the Xinhua News Agency reported on Tuesday. It once again allegedly violated Chinese law, at a time when it is still under formal investigation for a gun delivery in China and for "misrouting" shipments intended for Huawei.

"The shipment in question was handled correctly via standard security protocol. The package was from a regular shipper and was handed over to appropriate authorities by FedEx, consistent with our regular process and procedures," FedEx said in a statement sent to the Global Times on Wednesday. 

It also noted that the package never left its origin city, was never delivered and remains with the authorities. 

Xinhua reported that the items had been confiscated by the Chinese authorities and a probe was underway.

The company's latest alleged violation of the law comes at a sensitive time, when Hong Kong has been disrupted by radical rioters for over two months. This has led to a harsh backlash and criticism of FedEx.

"Such a statement is not persuasive at all, like its former statements that lack sincerity, and it contradicts the report by Xinhua without providing a more explicit and detailed explanation," Zhao Xiaomin, an industry analyst, told the Global Times on Wednesday. 

"The consecutive incidents have exposed serious loopholes in FedEx's management, which will seriously jeopardize its reputation and its future growth in China," he said, noting that the firm put itself into a very dangerous situation. 

The US delivery company was involved in the delivery of a gun in August, after police in East China's Fujian Province confiscated a FedEx package sent from the US that contained a gun, a violation of China's gun-control laws.

The company also "misrouted" parcels intended for Chinese telecommunications company Huawei amid a US government crackdown on the Chinese technology giant, which led Chinese authorities to open an investigation into the matter. 

The destination the knives were intended for is a sensitive location at the moment, as weeks of protests have been rattling Hong Kong, disrupting social order and putting ordinary people in danger.

Some Chinese internet users appeared skeptical of the latest brief statement from FedEx on the controlled knives.  

"We call for a boycott of FedEx" an internet user with the pseudonym of Adi_YEEZY said in a Weibo post on Wednesday. 

"Last month, it was the delivery of a gun… and now this. Nobody dealt with that?" another internet user with the pseudonym of liuchunmanL said. 

The State Post Bureau had not responded to questions on this matter sent by the Global Times as of press time. 

China's entity list is under revision, according to the Ministry of Commerce, and some analysts believe that FedEx will be added first due to the company's multiple violations within China's territorial jurisdiction.



Posted in: COMPANIES

blog comments powered by Disqus