First sea shipment of Chilean cherries for 2025-2026 season arrives in China

A container vessel loaded with about 1,100 tons of Chilean cherries arrived in south China's Shenzhen City in the early hours of Tuesday, marking the arrival of the first sea shipment of Chilean cherries in China for the 2025-2026 production season.

The cherries first reached Hong Kong through maritime transportation and was then delivered to Shenzhen by cross-border trucks.

After customs clearance, the cherries will be distributed to major supermarkets and fruit and vegetable wholesale markets across south China. The whole process will only take less than four hours from the vessel's arrival.

"From unloading in Hong Kong to customs clearance at the Shenzhen Bay Port, the entire process was efficient and smooth, effectively preserving the freshness and quality of the cherries," said Liu Juan, customs affairs manager of a local foreign trade company.

Following this shipment, at least one "cherry freighter' is expected to dock in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area. During the last peak import season, from Nov 2024 to March 2025, Shenzhen ports handled a total of 202,000 tons of cherry imports, accounting for nearly 40 percent of the country's imported cherries, according to the Shenzhen Customs.

"We carefully calculate the variables and instantaneous peak values in cherry clearance to arrange for inspection manpower in advance. By utilizing advanced technologies such as intelligent label recognition, we have significantly shortened inspection time combining manpower and technologies, achieving fast inspection and clearance for cherries," said Wu Weiguang, a customs officer at the Shenzhen Bay Customs.

According to the Chilean Cherry Committee, the country anticipates cherry exports to reach 131 million boxes, totaling 655,000 tons in the latest season.

Of those ruby-colored fruits, 93 percent are destined for the Chinese market, with 90 percent of fresh cherries transported by sea, and direct routes to China only take 23 days, according to the Chilean Agriculture Minister.

This year, Chile has further strengthened its cherry express operations, planning 32 direct voyages, double the number from last year.

First sea shipment of Chilean cherries for 2025-2026 season arrives in China

Refraining from the use or threat of force in international relations is in the fundamental interests of all parties, including Israel, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said on Tuesday.

Wang, also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, made the remarks when holding a phone conversation with Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar at the latter's request.

After listening to Sa'ar's briefing on Israel's position regarding the current situation, Wang said that China has consistently advocated resolving international and regional hotspot issues through dialogue and consultation, and that all parties should abide by the purposes and principles of the UN Charter.

For many years, China has been committed to promoting a political settlement of the Iran nuclear issue, Wang said, adding that recent talks between Iran and the United States had been making clear progress and also addressed Israel's security concerns.

Regrettably, this process has now been disrupted by military strikes, Wang said.

China opposes the military strikes launched by Israel and the United States against Iran. The use of force cannot truly resolve the issue. Instead, it will create new problems and grave repercussions, Wang said.

The true value of military strength lies not on the battlefield but in preventing war, said Wang, noting that China calls for an immediate cessation of military operations to prevent the conflict from further escalating and spiraling out of control.

He said that China has consistently upheld a just position on Middle East issues and will continue to play a constructive role in promoting de-escalation.

Wang also urged the Israeli side to take concrete measures to ensure the safety of Chinese personnel and institutions.

Sa'ar said that Israel attaches great importance to this matter and will safeguard the safety of Chinese personnel and institutions.

No use or threat of force serves all parties, including Israel: Chinese FM