ZTO Express outlines 2026 strategy, 2025 volume growth

ZTO Express (Cayman) Inc. filed a Form 6-K to share a press release about its 2026 National Network Conference held at its Shanghai headquarters.

Rhea-AI Filing Summary

ZTO Express (Cayman) Inc. filed a Form 6-K to share a press release about its 2026 National Network Conference held at its Shanghai headquarters. Management reviewed 2025 performance and outlined operating priorities for 2026, aligned with the State Post Bureau’s 2026 National Postal Work Conference and the “15th Five-Year Plan” period.

In 2025, ZTO handled 38.52 billion parcels, a 13.3% year-over-year increase, maintaining a leading industry position by business scale for the tenth consecutive year. The company also reported that its platform reverse logistics business registered doubled growth, reflecting increasing trust from platform clients and consumers.

For 2026, ZTO highlighted a philosophy of balancing quality and development, focusing on operational safety, service enhancement, network optimization, efficiency, workforce unity, and stronger execution. Chairman Meisong Lai described the express delivery sector as a promising “sunrise” industry moving from pure volume growth toward higher-quality, integrated logistics.

FAQ

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What did ZTO (ZTO) disclose in this Form 6-K filing?

ZTO filed a Form 6-K to furnish a press release about its 2026 National Network Conference. The company reviewed its 2025 business performance, discussed the broader industry environment, and outlined key operating priorities and guiding principles for 2026 in line with directives from China’s State Post Bureau.

How did ZTO Express (ZTO) perform in 2025 in terms of parcel volume?

ZTO reported a full-year 2025 parcel volume of 38.52 billion parcels, representing a 13.3% year-over-year increase. The company stated that this allowed it to maintain a leading position in China’s express delivery industry by business scale for the tenth consecutive year.

What did ZTO say about its platform reverse logistics business?

ZTO highlighted that its platform reverse logistics business registered doubled growth in 2025. According to the company, this growth reflects greater trust from more platform clients and consumers in its reverse logistics solutions.

What are ZTO’s key priorities and guiding principles for 2026?

For 2026, ZTO emphasized comprehensive implementation of State Post Bureau directives and a philosophy of balancing quality and development. The company plans to focus on operational safety, service enhancement, network optimization, efficiency improvement, fostering equity, uniting its workforce, strengthening execution, and tapping into potential across its entire network.

How does ZTO view the future of China’s express delivery industry?

Chairman Meisong Lai described the express delivery sector as a promising “sunrise” industry with robust growth prospects. He noted that the industry is transitioning from a focus on high quantity to a combination of quantity and quality, and from pure express delivery toward integrated logistics, with ZTO aiming to act as a visionary thinker, industry trailblazer, and pragmatic executor.

What strategic themes did ZTO’s chairman stress at the 2026 National Network Conference?

Chairman Meisong Lai stressed prioritizing service quality, continuing a balanced development strategy, refining ZTO’s service system, expanding service coverage, and promoting industrial synergy. He also emphasized rejecting destructive competition, pursuing win-win cooperation, and ensuring ZTO’s long-term, stable, and sustainable development through concrete, pragmatic actions.

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Accepted by SEC EDGAR 01/20/2026 - 08:12 AM Learn about SEC filing dates

UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

WASHINGTON, D.C. 20549

FORM 6-K

REPORT OF FOREIGN PRIVATE ISSUER

PURSUANT TO RULE 13a-16 OR 15d-16 UNDER

THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

For the month of January 2026

Commission File Number: 001-37922

ZTO Express (Cayman) Inc.

Building One, No. 1685 Huazhi Road

Qingpu District

Shanghai, 201708

People’s Republic of China

(Address of principal executive offices)

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant files or will file annual reports under cover of Form 20-F or Form 40-F.

Form 20-F x       Form 40-F ¨

Exhibit Index

Exhibit 99.1 – Press Release—ZTO Holds 2026 National Network Conference

2

SIGNATURES

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized.

	ZTO Express (Cayman) Inc.
	By	:	/s/ Huiping Yan
	Name	:	Huiping Yan
	Title	:	Chief Financial Officer
Date: January 20, 2026

3

Exhibit 99.1

ZTO Express Holds 2026 National Network Conference

Shanghai, January 20, 2026 /PRNewswire/ – On January 20, 2026, ZTO Express (Cayman) Inc. (NYSE: ZTO and SEHK: 2057) (“ZTO” or the “Company”）, a leading and fast-growing express delivery enterprise in China, convened its National Network Conference at its headquarters in Shanghai. The conference conveyed and studied the guiding principles from the State Post Bureau’s 2026 National Postal Work Conference and the strategic direction for the “15th Five-Year Plan” period, during which the Company reviewed its performance in 2025, analyzed the current landscape, and deliberated on and arranged the key priorities for 2026.

The Company’s chairman, Meisong Lai, emphasized in his keynote speech entitled “Striving Together, Advancing Steadily for the Long-run,” that in 2025, guided by government policies advocating for orderly competition and anti-involution, industry pricing gradually stabilized and recovered, and the competitive landscape continued to improve. ZTO remained committed to prioritizing service quality as its core priority, consistently implementing its balanced development strategy, and continually refining its service system, expanding its service coverage, and promoting industrial synergy. The Company achieved a full-year parcel volume of 38.52 billion parcels, representing a year-over-year increase of 13.3%, and maintained its leading position in the industry in terms of business scale for the tenth consecutive year. Furthermore, the Company’s platform reverse logistics business registered doubled growth, earning greater trust from more platform clients and consumers.

The conference further clarified the overall working philosophy and key tasks for 2026. It emphasized the comprehensive implementation of the State Post Bureau’s directives, balancing quality and development, with a focus on operational safety, service enhancement, network optimization, efficiency improvement, fostering equity, uniting the workforce, strengthening execution, and tapping into potential as the guiding principles for the entire network. The aim is to promote development through quality and stimulate vitality through optimization, thereby solidly ensuring the achievement of all operational objectives.

Chairman Meisong Lai expressed his gratitude to ZTO’s network partners and all employees for their trust and support over the past year. He emphasized that the express delivery industry remains a promising sunrise sector with robust growth prospects. The industry is currently in a critical phase of transition, shifting from high quantity to a combination of quantity plus quality, and from pure express delivery towards integrated logistics. On the path of high-quality development, ZTO must act as a visionary thinker, industry trailblazer and pragmatic executor. The entire network must recognize prevailing industry trends, gain a clear understanding of its own positioning, reject involution, and pursue win-win cooperation and competition. Only by committing to concrete actions, pragmatic efforts, and solid results can ZTO ensure a path forward that is sound, stable, and sustainable for the long run.

About ZTO Express (Cayman) Inc.

ZTO Express (Cayman) Inc. (NYSE: ZTO and SEHK:2057) (“ZTO” or the “Company”) is a leading and fast-growing express delivery company in China. ZTO provides express delivery service as well as other value-added logistics services through its extensive and reliable nationwide network coverage in China.

ZTO operates a highly scalable network partner model, which the Company believes is best suited to support the significant growth of e-commerce in China. The Company leverages its network partners to provide pickup and last-mile delivery services, while controlling the mission-critical line-haul transportation and sorting network within the express delivery service value chain.

For more information, please visit http://zto.investorroom.com.

Safe Harbor Statement

This announcement contains statements that may constitute “forward-looking” statements pursuant to the “safe harbor” provisions of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements can be identified by terminology such as “will,” “expects,” “anticipates,” “aims,” “future,” “intends,” “plans,” “believes,” “estimates,” “likely to,” and other similar expressions. ZTO may also make written or oral forward-looking statements in its periodic reports to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) and The Stock Exchange of Hong Kong Limited (the “HKEX”), in its interim and annual reports to shareholders, in announcements, circulars or other publications made on the website of the HKEX, in press releases and other written materials, and in oral statements made by its officers, directors, or employees to third parties. Statements that are not historical facts, including but not limited to statements about ZTO’s beliefs, plans, and expectations, are forward looking statements. Forward-looking statements involve inherent risks and uncertainties. A number of factors could cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in any forward-looking statement, including but not limited to the following: risks relating to the development of the e-commerce and express delivery industries in China; its significant reliance on certain third-party e-commerce platforms; risks associated with its network partners and their employees and personnel; intense competition which could adversely affect the Company’s results of operations and market share; any service disruption of the Company’s sorting hubs or the outlets operated by its network partners or its technology system; ZTO’s ability to build its brand and withstand negative publicity, or other favorable government policies. Further information regarding these and other risks is included in ZTO’s filings with the SEC and the HKEX. All information provided in this announcement is as of the date of this announcement, and ZTO does not undertake any obligation to update any forward-looking statement, except as required under applicable law.

For investor inquiries, please contact:

ZTO Express (Cayman) Inc.

Investor Relations

Email: ir@zto.com

Tel: +86 21 5980 4508