STORY: African products increasingly popular in China as cross-border trade thrives
DATELINE: July 19, 2023
LENGTH: 00:02:51
LOCATION: CHANGSHA, China
CATEGORY: ECONOMY
 
SHOTLIST:
1. various of African products
2. SOUNDBITE 1 (Chinese): HUANG ZINAN, Chairwoman of Hunan Xiyue Culture Media Co., Ltd.
3. various of Kenya flowers
4. SOUNDBITE 2 (Amharic): JEMAL ABRAR, Deputy manager of quality control of Mullege Coffee Export Private Limited Company (PLC)
5. SOUNDBITE 3 (English): ALI ABDU, Coffee quality control expert of Mullege Coffee Export Private Limited Company (PLC)
6. various of coffee production
7. various of African seafood
8. SOUNDBITE 4 (Chinese): SU JUNPING, President of the Asia-Europe and Africa Joint Trade and Investment Promotion Association
9. various of African fruits
 
STORYLINE:
 
From fresh roses from Kenya to Yirgacheffe coffee beans from Ethiopia, more products from Africa are increasingly sold well in the Chinese market thanks to more convenient cross-border trade.
 
Gaoqiao Grand Market in central China's Changsha City is one of the important distribution centers for Kenyan flowers.
 
At the wholesale market, freshly picked flowers from Kenya could reach their customers in China on the other side of the globe in about a day.
 
SOUNDBITE 1 (Chinese): HUANG ZINAN, Chairwoman of Hunan Xiyue Culture Media Co., Ltd.
"The flowers were picked at farms in Kenya in the wee hours and then flew for more than 10 hours to arrive in Changsha at 7:00 a.m. Beijing time. The customs clearance takes about half an hour and then the flowers can reach customers.
We also hope that flowers from Kenya will have greater development in the Chinese market."
 
For more and more African farmers and exporters who have long relied on the European and American markets, the emerging Chinese market holds the promise of higher and more stable income.
 
Mullege Coffee Export Private Limited Company (PLC) is a family-owned business in Ethiopia engaged in coffee processing and export.
 
It serves customers in over 20 countries and regions worldwide.
 
Over the past three years, the company has experienced a significant increase in coffee exports to China.
 
SOUNDBITE 2 (Amharic): JEMAL ABRAR, Deputy manager of quality control of Mullege Coffee Export Private Limited Company (PLC)
"We have been exporting more coffee to China for the last three years. We have exported a greater volume of coffee beans to China this and last year. We are also enjoying more market share and an increasing number of customers in China."
 
SOUNDBITE 3 (English): ALI ABDU, Coffee quality control expert of Mullege Coffee Export Private Limited Company (PLC)
"We really aspire to exploit the Chinese market in different ways due to the shifting in trend among the youngsters drinking a lot of coffee. Hopefully, we will achieve what we want in the Chinese market."
 
China is Africa's largest trading partner for 14 consecutive years.
 
According to data from the General Administration of Customs, the total trade volume between China and Africa reached 822.32 billion yuan (about 114 billion U.S. dollars) in the first five months of this year, representing a year-on-year increase of 16.4 percent.
 
SOUNDBITE 4 (Chinese): SU JUNPING, President of the Asia-Europe and Africa Joint Trade and Investment Promotion Association
"With the development of the Belt and Road Initiative and bilateral trade between China and Africa, more African seafood products got the green light to enter the Chinese market.
Through direct flights, the seafood can arrive in China fresher and faster.
With the development of cross-border e-commerce and bonded warehouses, prices are also cheaper.
In the future, avocados from Zimbabwe and fruits from Ethiopia will be able to enter the Chinese market."
 
Xinhua News Agency correspondents reporting from Changsha, China.
(XHTV)