XI'AN - Chinese online retailer JD.com plans to roll out a drone that can carry packages weighing as much as 200 kilograms for long-distance deliveries. Developed by the Beijing-based company, the new drone VT1 with a hybrid gas-electric engine is 3.4 meters long and can cover a 200-kilometer radius, according to JD.com. JD.com said the new drone was in testing. The drone service will transport goods between distribution stations rather than to customers directly. Xiao Jun, vice president of JD.com, said the VT1 could carry heavier parcels and travel over a longer time. The drones will not be affected by traffic congestion and can improve delivery efficiency and save logistic costs. JD.com started conducting trial deliveries using drones in 2016. Smaller drones are being used in the city of Xi'an in Shaanxi Province and the city of Suqian in Jiangsu Province. From June to July 31, the delivery drones, which can carry items weighing between 15 kg and 30 kg, have flown more than 800 times and traveled over 4,000 km in Xi'an, according to the company. JD.com announced in May that it planned to invest 20.5 billion yuan (3 billion U.S. dollars) over the next five years to build a logistics hub in Xi'an. silicon or siliconepaper wristbandsyouth wristbands
The State Council has announced a series of new appointments, Xinhua News Agency reported on Wednesday. Qin Yizhi, first secretary of the Secretariat of the Communist Youth League of China Central Committee, has been named vice-minister of the General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine. Shang Yong, former Party chief of the China Association for Science and Technology, is the new deputy head of the China Food and Drug Administration. Yu Yong has been appointed deputy head of the China Meteorological Administration to replace Xu Xiaofeng, who was removed from the post. Zhu Shumin is now vice-chairman of the China Banking Regulatory Commission. Zhang Shenfeng has been appointed assistant chairman of the China Securities Regulatory Commission. Qi Chengyuan and Liu Baohua are now deputy directors of the National Energy Administration.
