Yunnan’s fresh-cut flowers find fertile ground in Central Asia

Fresh-cut flowers from southwest China's Yunnan Province are making their way nearly 4,000 kilometers northwest to Kazakhstan, thanks to enhanced infrastructure which has led to flourishing trade in a variety of goods and products among the nations.

The Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) has strengthened economic and cultural exchanges between China and Central Asian countries.

In Kunming, Yunnan's provincial capital, workers at a flower-packing facility are still working even at 22:00, carefully packaging rose stems destined for the Kazakh market.

"We usually work from 20:00 until 6:00 or 7:00 the next morning," said Kong Weimang, an employee at Yunnan Huashengjin Network Technology.

Known as China's "Kingdom of Flowers," Yunnan is a floral powerhouse, with flower fields, especially roses, stretching widely across the landscape. Its blossoms are now reaching far beyond domestic borders, with Central Asia one of the most vibrant markets.

"We started exporting to the Kazakh market in March this year. Back then, we sent about eight or nine truckloads that month. But volumes kept rising in April, and by May, we had the average of one truckload a day," said Shen Chunling, general manager of Yunnan Huashengjin Network Technology.

According to Kunming Customs, in the first five months of this year, Yunnan exported fresh-cut flowers worth nearly 60 million yuan (about 8.3 million U.S. dollars) to Central Asian countries, marking a nearly tenfold increase year on year.

The boom is not limited to flowers. Traders from Central Asia are also relocating to Yunnan to tap into the growing market.

"Yunnan produces a huge variety of flowers. They’re very competitive in our markets, including Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, (other markets in) Central Asia and Belarus. We are even developing supply lines to Azerbaijan," said Turapov Rafat, a flower businessman from Kazakhstan.

Thanks to BRI infrastructure upgrades and enhanced cold-chain logistics, Yunnan's blooms now reach Kazakh cities like Almaty and Astana in just five days, arriving fresh for sale.The surge in demand is also transforming local farming.

Zhou Yulian, a veteran flower grower in this business for 25 years, now partners with the local government to manage six modern greenhouses. These facilities are expected to yield around 7 million stems annually -- most destined for clients in Kazakhstan.

"The foreign buyers require what's called order-based planting -- whatever variety they need, I grow. They also commit to buying everything and even set the price. I’m thrilled and relieved as I can focus entirely on growing without having to worry about sales," she said.

With ongoing improvements in quality and logistics, growers and exporters are optimistic that Yunnan's fresh-cut flowers will continue to bloom on the international stage -- especially in Central Asia.

Yunnan’s fresh-cut flowers find fertile ground in Central Asia

Venezuela's acting president Delcy Rodriguez said on Sunday that the country is at a critical stage and must achieve national unity, emphasizing that maintaining internal cohesion is of utmost importance.

In a televised address, Rodriguez called on the public to continue trusting the government under the current highly complex political circumstances.

Her statement comes in the wake of a January 3 military operation conducted by the United States, during which Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his wife were taken into custody and flown out of the country.

The operation resulted in at least 100 fatalities.

Rodriguez, who was sworn in as acting president two days later on January 5, framed her appeal for unity against this backdrop of external intervention.

Meanwhile, Venezuelan Minister of Communication and Information Freddy Nanez denounced the U.S. actions as a "war crime of the 21st century" when speaking at an international cultural event on Sunday.

Nanez condemned not only the January 3 airstrikes but also the associated cyber and electromagnetic attacks.

He accused the United States of violating international law through the forced removal of President Maduro and his wife, while attacks on civilian infrastructure, including medical facilities, represent a flagrant breach of humanitarian norms.

He reiterated that the stigmatization and military attacks against Venezuela are driven by economic interests, particularly the desire to control its abundant natural resources.

Venezuelan acting president calls for national unity amid complex situation