China’s Meituan Dianping vows improvements after delivery man kills retail worker in Wuhan

China’s largest on-demand services provider Meituan Dianping said it will take responsibility and “try its best to improve” after one of its delivery men stabbed a retail worker to death on the weekend, prompting debate on social media over the pressures faced by such workers in the country’s hyper-competitive delivery sector.

In a statement issued Monday, Meituan said a quarrel broke out when the delivery man arrived at the shopping mall in Wuhan, capital of central China’s Hubei province, to collect goods to be delivered to a buyer. The statement did not elaborate on the cause of the argument.

“Nothing can be more heart breaking than losing a life. We will shoulder the responsibility, identify the cause of the problem and spare no efforts to make improvements,” Meituan added.

A spokeswoman for Meituan’s told the Post on Monday that the company was cooperating with the police investigation, but could not comment further.

“Although it is only a single case, it already has caused a negative impact on Meituan’s brand,” said Dingding Zhang, former head of Beijing-based research firm Sootoo Institute and currently an independent internet industry commentator.

“Many incidents have happened these past few years because customers want their delivery faster. Companies are putting a lot of pressure on delivery men, who are risking their safety and even running red lights to deliver orders on time. This is a serious problem for the whole industry, not just for a single company.”