China has received its first seaborne shipment of Chilean cherries for the 2025–2026 season. The arrival at Guangzhou's Nansha Port included about 370 containers. Chile's Frutas de Chile reports that with peak harvest underway, more Cherry Express sailings are scheduled to reach major Chinese ports in the coming weeks.
Ivan Marambio, president of Frutas de Chile, said, "This season, direct 'Cherry Express' shipments to China have increased to 32 – twice as many as last year. Supported by efficient logistics, Chilean cherries travel 20,000 kilometers in 23 days, arriving in China with excellent freshness to meet winter demand for premium fruit." He noted that the route is supported by a cold-chain network and robust China–Chile trade ties.
Port of Guangzhou stated that it expects Nansha Port to receive 19 vessels or 200,000 tons for the season. The port has been expanding its engagement with China–Latin America trade since 2019.
Air cargo links have also expanded. A China Eastern Airlines flight connecting Shanghai and Buenos Aires via Auckland transported 2.1 tons of Argentine cherries to China on its return journey, according to Xinhua.
Additional China–Latin America routes continue to develop. At Peru's Chancay Port, a Belt and Road cooperation project, cargo moved through the Chancay–Shanghai route has exceeded 5 billion yuan, equal to about US$706.7 million, handling 197,000 tons since two-way operations began nearly a year ago.
Experts noted that these routes reflect broader connectivity trends between China and Latin American suppliers. Song Wei, professor at Beijing Foreign Studies University, said that cross-Pacific trade growth is supported by economic complementarity and improved facilitation measures. Wan Zhe, professor at the Belt and Road School of Beijing Normal University, said that increased market demand will interact with infrastructure initiatives such as Chancay Port and the proposed Brazil–Peru railway.
China–Latin America trade reached US$518.47 billion in 2024, according to Xinhua, up 6.0 per cent year on year. In the first 10 months of 2025, imports from Latin America increased 1 per cent.
Source: Global Times
