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. Photo:Xinhua

A livestream session organized by China Media Group (CMG) on Saturday helped sell 120,000 cans of hand-peeled pine nuts from Afghanistan, with transactions hitting more than 10 million yuan ($1.56 million), underscoring efforts to help the Afghan people to overcome their economic difficulties.

The online sales session was hosted by livestream salesman Li Jiaqi and CMG reporter Wang Bingbing on the sidelines of the 4th China International Import Expo on Saturday night. Dozens of imported goodies from Japan, South Korea, Thailand and other countries, including 120,000 cans of pine nuts from Afghanistan, were sold out within minutes, according to media reports.

The event topped search trends on China's social media platform Sina Weibo on Sunday, with many netizens saying that they are looking forward to more Afghan products, as well as expressing their support for the country's practical actions to help Afghanistan's reconstruction after the US' 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 COVID-19 pandemic and the security situation in Afghanistan, exporting of pine nuts, a major income source for Afghan farmers, faces barriers. China, as one of the largest importers of Afghan pine nuts, restarted the air corridor between two countries, which will greatly improve the struggling Afghan economy, analyst said.

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

Noting that cargo train between the two countries have continued operations, Wang said that the air corridor for pine nuts also reflects the steady development of economic and trade cooperation between China and Afghanistan, alongside the long-standing friendship between the people of the two countries.

Global Times