To celebrate 53 years of diplomatic relations between China and Chile, the 8th “Chile Week China” kicked off in Shenzhen, with the first event successfully held at YANTIAN.

“Chile Week China 2023” was held from October 14 to 20 in four cities: Shenzhen, Chengdu, Beijing, and Shanghai. The first event was debuted at YANTIAN on the morning of October 14, where the Minister of Agriculture of Chile, the Director General of Chilean Trade Promotion, members of the Chilean Presidential Delegation, representatives from Transport Bureau of Shenzhen Municipality, Commerce Bureau of Shenzhen Municipality, and Yantian District People's Government, as well as representatives of enterprises from the two countries visited YANTIAN and exchanged views on deepening trade cooperation between China and Chile, especially in view of the upcoming cherry season. As a window to show China's national image to the world, YANTIAN extended its warm welcome to the distinguished guests.

Chile was the first South American country to establish diplomatic relations with China, and with the joint efforts of both sides, the economic and trade cooperation between China and Chile has yielded fruitful results.

China is now Chile's largest trading partner for more than ten consecutive years, the main destination for Chilean exports, accounting for 37.3% of Chile's total exports, and the top country of Chile's imports, with trade between the two countries showing strong growth momentum. Chilean cherries, wine, salmon, blueberries, and other high-quality products are increasingly favored by Chinese consumers. This year's “Chile Week China” chose to kick off in Shenzhen precisely because of the city's position as an important gateway for global trade and its strengths in a number of areas.

As one of China's major ports and a key logistics hub connecting China to the world, YANTIAN has close ties with the Chilean market. At present, there are direct sailings between YANTIAN and major Chilean ports, facilitating trade between the two sides.

Imports from Chile via YANTIAN mainly include agricultural products, frozen meat, fruits, red wine, timber, and other foodstuffs. These products not only satisfy the diversified needs of the Chinese market, but also promote the mutual economic development of the two countries.

Over the years, YANTIAN has been committed to developing the import and export cold chain service, and has become the hub port for refrigerated cargo imports from countries and regions such as Americas, Europe, Australia, New Zealand, and Southeast Asia. It is the preferred port for cold chain imports in South China, the largest port for imported frozen meat in South China, accounting for over 95% of all frozen meat imports in Shenzhen. In 2022, YANTIAN saw a 600% increase in its fruit imports, most of which were cherries from Chile. This not only reflects Chinese consumers' demand for diversified and high-quality fruits, but also the close ties between YANTIAN and the Chilean market.

YANTIAN's railway cold chain service outperforms conventional land transportation in terms of service coverage, transportation capacity, cost-effectiveness, safety and stability, eco-friendliness, etc. In April this year, a train carrying fifteen 40-foot containers, totaling 390 tons of refrigerated fruit juice, from South America departed from YANTIAN Depot for Ganzhou International Port Depot, an inland port of YANTIAN, under the "one box to the end" model. This is the first order of YANTIAN rail-sea intermodal service to transport imported cold chain juice by rail, opening up a new channel for imported fresh products and laying a solid foundation for regular import and export of reefer cargoes thereafter.

YANTIAN leverages its 12 inland ports and 30 rail-sea intermodal services to vigorously develop the transportation of cold chain, fresh food and other special commodities, improving the "port-to-door" and "door-to-door" supply chain services. We have been supporting the import and export of bulk commodities, cold chain, agricultural and sideline products, etc. through a variety of services and dedicated operations to create an international logistics system with stronger transportation capacity, more reasonable hub layout, more convenient multimodal transportation, and more efficient logistics solutions. In the first half of this year, the cumulative throughput by its rail-sea intermodal service increased by 15% year-on-year.

At the event, YANTIAN presented the Chilean delegation with a gift named "Infinite Cooperation, Infinite Achievement", expressing its best wishes for the bright prospect of China-Chile cooperation.  

About 150 people attended the opening ceremony of the 8th “Chile Week China”, which featured a special "Taste of Chile" reception luncheon and the "Museum of Chilean Taste" allowing visitors to experience Chile and its culture. “Chile Week” is a new model of economic and trade cooperation between China and Chile. It not only showcases Chile’s products and culture in China, but also opens up new opportunities for bilateral trade and cooperation. Additionally, it serves as the embodiment of the friendship between the two countries over the years.

Looking ahead, YANTIAN will continue to support China to expand imports of premium products, and join hands with all parties involved to forge economic ties to drive the high-quality development of international trade of China.