As the Spring Festival approaches, Shanghai's imported fruit market is experiencing a surge in sales, marking the start of its peak season.
The Spring Festival, or Chinese Lunar New Year, falls on Jan. 29 this year. The holiday atmosphere gradually builds during the last lunar month of the year, with consumption surging across many fields as people prepare for the grand traditional festival.
A surge in demand for imported fruits like Chilean cherries has turned one wholesale market into a hub of activity, with vendors working 16-hour days to process the constant stream of orders.
"This year, the supply of Chilean cherries is abundant, and prices are slightly lower compared to previous years. Approximately 3,000 tons are supplied daily, and the sales peak is expected to last until the Spring Festival," said Wang Xianjian, a market management staff member.
In addition to cherries, the sales of imported citrus fruits, grapes, blueberries, and other items are also on the rise. Foreign suppliers are now a common sight in these markets, working closely with local vendors to ensure that their products are readily available to customers.
"It's amazing. In this market you can sell over 100 containers per day. So, our idea is to keep growing in the future and to provide to China more and more," said Victor Villagra, a Chilean merchant.
Shanghai sees surge in imported fruit sales ahead of Spring Festival
A conference on sustainable development cooperation among Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) member states concluded with the signing of 18 key projects worth a total of 4.795 billion yuan (about 655.5 million U.S. dollars) on Thursday in north China's Tianjin Municipality.
The projects, covering new energy, new materials, infrastructure, and automotive supply chains, are expected to boost practical cooperation among member states.
Nearly 400 guests, including officials and enterprises from SCO member states, attended the opening session. The conference is part of a series of activities ahead of the upcoming SCO summit in China this autumn.
The agreements involve eight countries, including the UAE, Egypt, and Uzbekistan. Notable projects include a 200-megawatt transformer substation in Egypt's Suez Canal Economic Zone and a collaboration between the UAE and Tianjin Municipality to help local enterprises expand overseas.
Ahmed El Homosani, CEO of the Sczone Utilities, highlighted the importance of the power substation project in attracting quality investments. "What we are going to sign is a framework agreement regarding building a new substation, 200 mega of electricity power. It will attract more and better investments," he said.
Meanwhile, Avinash Jagetiya, CEO of UAE's Sun Management Consulting, emphasized the significance of the cooperation agreement with Tianjin. "Yes, I'm certainly looking forward to this conference and that is the reason I'm here. And in this conference also we are going to sign an MOU (Memorandum of understanding) with Tianjing government. And this project is a step forward in serving the Tianjin enterprises and expanding their footprints and overseas market," he said. The conference also featured specialized sessions on energy, infrastructure, and mining cooperation. Energy cooperation was a focal point, with representatives from Kyrgyzstan noting increased interest from Chinese investors in energy projects.
"At present, a large number of Chinese investors are directly engaged with Kyrgyzstan's State Investment Agency for energy projects, including hydropower, solar and wind power plants," said Maksatbek Botoyarov, chief specialist of the Department of Investment Attraction and Regional Development of Kyrgyzstan.
Participants, including representatives from traditional energy firm LONGi, expressed commitments to increasing investments in the new energy sector and exploring green transformation pathways with SCO members.
"Over the years, we have developed green electricity and green hydrogen products and technical solutions to help these SCO countries achieve their sustainable development and energy transition. We are also actively communicating with the Kazakh government to formulate specific plans and programs for implementation," said Shi Shufeng, marketing director of LONGi's Central and East African Market.
SCO sustainable development conference secures 18 projects involving nearly 4.8 bln yuan
