BEIJING, Jan. 24 (Xinhua) -- For ordinary Chinese people, cherries used to be a pricey indulgence in winter. But in recent years, the viral phrase "achieving cherry freedom" has represented a sweet reality for many during the Spring Festival shopping season, as soaring imports make the glossy red fruit cheaper.
Earlier this month, a cargo ship loaded with 20,000 tonnes of Chilean cherries arrived at the Nansha Port in south China's Guangzhou, perfectly timed to offer a festive treat for millions, as China's most celebrated holiday drew near.
"As the Spring Festival shopping season approaches, Chinese consumers' demand for premium fruits continues to grow, with domestic cherry sales expected to increase further due to festive consumption," said Cao Jing, who is in charge of sales at Dalian Yidu Group Co., Ltd., a company specializing in cherry imports.
Chilean cherries, of course, are just one example of the wide range of flavors from around the world that Chinese people now enjoy at their festive dining tables, displaying China's growing consumption power and expanding imports.
TASTY BOND WITH WORLD
The shift from costly air freight to direct sea shipments has lowered transportation expenses, making cherries more affordable for Chinese consumers, Cao said.
According to data from ProChile, the Chilean government's export promotion bureau, Chile's cherry exports hit a record high in 2024, with an export value of more than 3.09 billion U.S. dollars. During the 2023-2024 harvest season, approximately 93 percent of Chile's cherry exports were delivered to China.
From Chilean cherries to Norwegian salmon, the rising demand for premium imported goods reflects China's expanding appetite for global flavors.
In a bustling supermarket in east China's Shanghai, live Russian king crabs are a sought-after delicacy ahead of the Spring Festival. Russian Crab, one of Russia's largest crab fishing companies, now sends over 80 percent of its catch to China -- with its exports to China surging by 74 percent in 2024.
Customs data shows that the total value of China's imports of live, fresh and frozen crabs from Russia exceeded 1.14 billion U.S. dollars last year, a 16.7-percent increase from the previous year.
The appetite for global flavors also extends to Africa. African agricultural products, ranging from South African citrus and Kenyan coffee to Tanzanian cashew nuts, are also adding a touch of the exotic to Chinese New Year celebrations.
Data shows that China imported 28.47 billion yuan's (3.97 billion U.S. dollars) worth of agricultural goods from Africa in the first eight months of 2024, marking a year-on-year increase of 4.8 percent.
The people of Wuxi, a city in east China's Jiangsu Province, who are traditionally known to favor sweet foods, now have more options to choose from. A man surnamed Feng, a Wuxi local, bought five bags of Egyptian dates for the upcoming holidays.
"Perfect for the festive season, these dates are big, red and very sweet. They add to the joyful atmosphere of the Spring Festival," Feng told Xinhua.
Trade between China and Arab states soared from 36.7 billion U.S. dollars in 2004 to a staggering 398 billion dollars in 2023. This dynamism has cemented China's long-standing status as the Arab world's top trading partner.
The increased availability of foreign food reflects China's steadily growing imports from around the world, with the cumulative value of goods imports expected to exceed 22 trillion U.S. dollars by 2030.
FEAST OF BUSINESS OPPORTUNITIES
While Chinese consumers enjoy an expanding menu of global flavors, China's drive to boost consumption, sustain growth, and open its massive market wider is giving foreign producers a year-round reason to invest.
China's total imports expanded 2.3 percent from one year earlier to 18.39 trillion yuan, with fruit and wine growing 8.6 percent and 38.8 percent.
This robust trade performance is partly built on China's efforts to create a more favorable environment for boosting imports. In 2024, Chinese customs introduced 16 measures to streamline port operations, ensuring faster and fresher delivery of imported goods.
Special actions to promote cross-border trade facilitation were also taken in 20 Chinese cities last year, with the aim of creating a market-oriented, law-based, and internationalized first-class port business environment.
These efforts also align with China's broader strategy of boosting domestic consumption. The country's consumption power has continued to rise, with the retail sales of consumer goods rising 3.5 percent in 2024, supported by a steadily growing economy that expanded by 5 percent year on year.
Continued urbanization and rising income levels are expected to sustainably drive consumption growth in the medium to long term, according to a McKinsey report titled "China consumption: Start of a new era," which was released in November 2023.
This momentum is underpinned by policies aimed at unlocking the nation's vast demand potential. Initiatives such as increasing fiscal input, raising incomes, removing market barriers, and advancing technological innovation are driving growth and opening new consumption frontiers.
China's expanding middle-income population, now over 400 million -- the largest in the world, is a key driver of consumption growth. Experts predict this group will more than double to 800 million within the next 15 years, creating a gigantic domestic market and fueling demand for diverse and high-quality imports.
"China still has significant room for further import growth in 2025," said Lyu Daliang, an official with the General Administration of Customs, noting that the country remains committed to proactively expanding imports and sharing with the world the opportunities created by China's development. ■
