BEIJING, Feb. 28 (Xinhua) -- A new industry guideline approved by the State Council will help sustainable and healthy development of the express delivery sector.

The industry has grown by an average 42 percent a year in the past decade, Ma Junsheng, head of the State Post Bureau, told a press briefing on Tuesday.

The sector has topped the world for four years, with over half of the world's deliveries made by Chinese companies, according to Ma.

The new regulations improved rule-making and protection of consumers' interests, said Zhang Jianhua, an official of the Legal Affairs Office of the State Council.

A total of 40.1 billion parcels were delivered last year. The sector generated 496 billion yuan (77 billion U.S. dollars) in 2017.