(Yicai) Oct. 18 -- JD Logistics, the courier arm of Chinese e-commerce giant JD.Com, is starting a four-hour delivery service in Hong Kong as part of an expansion of its self-operated express parcel business in China’s two special administrative regions amid stiff competition in the markets.

The enhanced delivery network will include operation centers offering fast intracity services in Hong Kong and Macau, fast delivery between the two regions and between them and the Chinese mainland, and door-to-door delivery services, JD Logistics said yesterday.

Evening delivery hours will be extended to 10 p.m. in Hong Kong, and intracity parcels in Macau will be delivered the next morning at the soonest, the Beijing-based company added.

A number of rivals had already unveiled their expansion plans for Hong Kong before JD Logistics. SF Express set out its intentions earlier this month as did Alibaba Group affiliate Cainiao International Express in July.

JD Logistics’ new services were trialed for several months before the official announcement, an employee told Yicai. The firm has four local operation sites, covering business-to-business, business-to-customer, and customer-to-customer transactions, the person added, noting that the business client segment grew the fastest.

The Hong Kong team employs hundreds of people, including couriers, Ma Wei, general manager of JD Logistics’ local express business, told Yicai. The peak e-commerce sales seasons, including the Double 11 Shopping Festival and Christmas, are approaching, so the company hopes to provide better services to local firms and residents during the period, Ma noted.

In addition to the new layout in the Hong Kong and Macao markets, JD.Com has been expanding its logistics and warehousing layout in Southeast Asia, Europe, and North America recently, according to an employee. It also operates 20 smart logistics parks in Indonesia, the person noted.

The layout input cost of JD.Com's warehousing business in overseas markets will not be too high thanks to its mature warehousing and logistics technology, relevant people at the firm told Yicai.

Editors: Tang Shihua, Martin Kadiev