Shanghai customs staff members inspect imported South African avocadoes. Photo: Screenshot of the report from cnstock.com

 
China welcomed an initial shipment of 22 tons of avocados imported from South Africa on Tuesday in Shanghai, Chinanews.com reported on Thursday. 

The first shipment of imported South African avocados will also be displayed at this year's China International Import Expo (CIIE) in November, according to cnstock.com. 

South Africa has become the third African country after Kenya and Tanzania to gain access for exporting fresh avocadoes to China, according to the report from Chinanews.com. 

Agricultural products remain one of the most important exports from Africa to China. Strengthening cooperation in popular items such as avocados will not only boost bilateral trade but also introduce more high-quality and affordable commodities to meet the growing demand in China, Song Wei, a professor at the School of International Relations and Diplomacy at Beijing Foreign Studies University, told the Global Times on Thursday.    

Agriculture was a focal point at the 2024 Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation held in September in Beijing, where multiple cooperation agreements were signed, further strengthening collaboration. 

For instance, China will grant duty-free treatment to 100 percent of the tariff lines of products from least developed countries in Africa with diplomatic ties with China; sign framework agreements on economic partnership for shared development with interested African countries; and strengthen cooperation on inspection and quarantine and standards, and expand access for agricultural exports from Africa, according to the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation Beijing Action Plan (2025-2027). 
 
Various measures to support agricultural exports from Africa to China are conducive to streamlining trade with optimized procedures, which will help ensure the freshness of agricultural products like avocados with shortening customs clearance time, Song noted. 

More Chinese consumers will be able to learn about African products with their advantages as the products have opportunities to be displayed at expos such as CIIE, according to Song. 

In the first eight months of the year, China imported 28.47 billion yuan ($4.02 billion) worth of agricultural products from Africa, a 4.8 percent year-on-year increase.

Global Times