China-Brazil friendship tea garden opens in Rio de Janeiro

A China-Brazil friendship tea garden was opened at the Rio de Janeiro Botanical Garden on Saturday to mark the the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries

Chinese Ambassador to Brazil Zhu Qingqiao, Brazilian Minister of Culture Margareth Menezes, Brazil's central bank governor-elect Gabriel Galipolo, Rio de Janeiro Botanical Garden president Sergio Besserman Vianna, and more than 100 other representatives from both sides attended the opening ceremony.

The project is funded by Chinese companies in Brazil, by using restored historical buildings in the park to create the friendship garden.

The Chinese side also introduced high-quality Chinese tea saplings to the park and set a tea culture exhibition, adding luster to the 19th G20 Summit, which is scheduled for Nov 18 to 19 in Rio de Janeiro.

Chinese and Brazilian officials also jointly cut the ribbon at the ceremony to mark the official opening of the tea exhibition.

"Chinese culture has spread to Brazil and Brazilian culture has also been recognized in China. I think this is a very positive signal for both sides. We can learn more from each other's cultural traditions," said Menezes.

"This will be a place to present the Chinese tea and the Chinese culture of tea for all the Brazilians, because we receive a million Brazilians from the whole country every year," said Vianna.

China-Brazil friendship tea garden opens in Rio de Janeiro

China-Brazil friendship tea garden opens in Rio de Janeiro

China-Brazil friendship tea garden opens in Rio de Janeiro

China-Brazil friendship tea garden opens in Rio de Janeiro

China-Brazil friendship tea garden opens in Rio de Janeiro

A direct cargo route between China's southern city of Shenzhen and Turkmenistan's capital Ashgabat is reshaping logistics, replacing slow land transport with same day air delivery.

In 2025, bilateral trade climbed to 10.46 billion U.S. dollars, highlighting the corridor's role in strengthening the partnership.

At Shenzhen Bao'an International Airport, cargo bound for Ashgabat is loaded on a typical Wednesday morning for the nine-hour flight. Operating twice a week, the service has become a reliable lifeline for exporters with time-sensitive goods. The previous day, a logistics warehouse near the airport prepared the shipment for export, part of a tightly coordinated supply chain that makes each early morning departure possible.

The corridor's rapid expansion has reshaped delivery options for exporters, according to Cheng Chao, General Manager of AWOT Global Corporation.

"This shipment is electronic products, worth over 3 million yuan (about 435,613 U.S. dollars). Since the charter flights started in 2023 through the end of 2025, we've operated 303 flights -- growing from zero to this scale," said Cheng.

The direct flights have also given exporters a faster, more reliable route into Turkmenistan, according to Qiao Jian, sales director of AWOT Global Corporation.

"In the past, shipping to Turkmenistan was mainly by truck and rail, it would take about 12 to 25 days and it was heavily affected by the weather and port congestion. After our direct flights start, shipment can arrive on the same day," said Qiao.

At the same time, Shenzhen Customs has upgraded procedures to match the pace of air logistics, moving cargo seamlessly from warehouse to aircraft and onward to overseas markets.

Ma Chao, an officer at Shenzhen Bao'an International Airport Customs, said authorities are advancing "smart air logistics" with smart checkpoints, security locks, and 24/7 clearance to keep cargo moving at air speed.

China-Turkmenistan direct cargo flights reshape logistics, strengthen ties