Photo taken on Oct. 31, 2021 shows a cargo plane during a ceremony of resuming the export of pine nuts to China, at Kabul International Airport in Kabul, Afghanistan. Afghanistan on Sunday resumed export of pine nuts to China, a Taliban spokesman confirmed.Photo:Xinhua

China's e-commerce live streamer Li Jiaqi partnered withCCTV reporter Wang Bingbing selling out 120,000 cans of pine nuts from Afghanistan on Saturday, which are valued at more than 10 million yuan ($1.56 million), showing the country's efforts to help the Afghan people to overcome economic difficulties.

Li Jiaqi, China's live-streaming star and Wang Bingbing, a popular CCTV reporter held a live sale session at the fourth China International Import Expo on Saturday night, with dozens of imported goodies from Japan, South Korea, Thailand and other countries, including 120 thousand cans of pine nuts from Afghanistan, which were sold out within minutes.

The event topped search trends on China's social media Sina Weibo on Sunday, with many netizens saying that they are looking forward to more Afghan products, as well as expressing their pride in China's practical actions to help with the Afghan reconstruction after the American troops withdrawal. 

On November 1, the first cargo plane carrying 45 tons of Afghan pine nuts arrived at Shanghai Pudong International Airport, marking the first time Afghanistan has exported goods to China since the Afghan Taliban took power in the country.

Due to the coronavirus pandemic and the security situation in Afghanistan, the sales of its pine nuts face barriers. China, as one of the largest importers of Afghan pine nuts, restarted the air corridor between two countries, which will greatly improve the Afghan struggling economy, analyst said.

On November 2, Wang Wenbin, a spokesperson from China's Foreign Ministry, said that small pine nuts will bring nice taste for Chinese, as well as foreign exchange income for Afghans, which will improve the livelihood of local farmers.

The air corridor of pine nuts also reflects the steady development of economic and trade cooperation between China and Afghanistan, alongside with the long-standing friendship between the two countries' people, Wang added.

Global Times