In Alar City on the edge of the Taklamakan Desert in northwest China -- the largest desert in China and second largest in the world, farmers are harvesting sea bass from ponds filled with water so salty that it would kill most crops. The unlikely aquaculture project in Alar, in China's far western Xinjiang region, is the work of researchers at the Tarim University in the Uyghur autonomous region, who have spent years turning saline-alkaline groundwater into a commercial fishery.
Xia Chuanjiang began farming fish in Alar's saline waters last year. He called in plant pathologists this week after finding diseased and dead fish in his ponds during the peak sea bass selling season.
"We generally contact the professors promptly when we're feeding the fish or when the fish get sick, and they bring us timely help," Xia said.
Wei Jie, a professor at the Tarim University's College of Life Science and Technology, has led field research into saline-alkaline aquaculture since Alar began promoting the practice in 2018.
"We can conduct experiments here, for example, experiments on salt-alkali tolerance, and the use of functional feeds in our saline-alkaline aquaculture," Wei said.
Over the years, the researchers have successfully cultivated tilapia, Pacific white shrimp, sea bass and California bass in Alar's saline waters, advising more than 50 farming households and extending aquaculture across roughly 30,000 mu (about 2,000 hectares) of what was once idle land.
Local authorities hope the project will boost incomes in a remote region where fresh water is scarce and agriculture is constrained by salinity.
Chinese researchers turn saline wasteland into desert fish farms
Trade between China and Africa reached 312.11 billion U.S. dollars in the first nine months of 2026, up 22 percent from the same period last year, the latest customs data showed.
From vases to dining tables, more and more African products are enriching the choices of Chinese consumers, driven by China's zero-tariff policy for African countries.
Effective May 1 of this year, China fully implemented zero tariffs on 100 percent of tariff lines for 53 African countries with which it has established diplomatic relations, allowing a large number of African goods to enter the Chinese market.
From May to September, the import value of African peanuts, frozen strawberries and avocados soared 4.4 times, 113 percent and 82 percent, respectively, compared with the same period last year. China has become Egypt's largest export market for frozen strawberries, and 90 percent of South Africa's pecan exports are sold to China. "Both China and Africa have benefited extensively. On the one hand, African products have enriched the supply in the domestic market, with 70 percent of China's sesame imports and 40 percent of its coffee imports coming from Africa, while African pomelos, apples, and other fruits have met consumers' demand for out-of-season fresh fruit. On the other hand, the African people have also reaped tangible benefits," said Liu Yu, director of the West Asia and Africa Department under the Ministry of Commerce.
Behind this abundance of imported goods lie unimpeded transportation corridors and an increasingly dense logistics network.
This year, the cargo route between Ezhou City in central China's Hubei Province and Ethiopia's capital Addis Ababa has been increased to seven flights per week. In the first nine months, 456 flights were operated, up nearly 60 percent year on year.
Yue Bin, deputy general manager of the Enterprise Management Department under the Hubei International Logistics Airport Co., Ltd., said their business has benefited significantly from the increased flights.
"Since the beginning of this year, the overall cargo volume to Africa has grown very rapidly. Our cargo volume has doubled to 36,000 metric tons to date. Products such as fresh flowers have very strict requirements for transit time. With the increased frequency of flights, products like fresh flowers and coffee beans can now enter the Chinese market more conveniently," he said.
Meanwhile, maritime transport has also expanded import channels for African products, with the China-Africa logistics network continuing to densify.
Since the beginning of this year, cargo volume on the general cargo liner route between Yantai Port and Africa has exceeded 8 million tons, up 93 percent year on year and hitting a record high since the route was launched. The average number of monthly sailings to Africa has remained above 30, covering more than 20 African countries and regions.
China-Africa trade up 22 pct in first 9 months as zero-tariff policy boosts African imports
