STORY: Foreign visiting group impressed by wine industry development in China's Ningxia
SHOOTING TIME: Nov. 20-21, 2023 
DATELINE: Nov. 23, 2023
LENGTH: 00:02:20
LOCATION: YINCHUAN, China
CATEGORY: AGRICULTURE

SHOTLIST:
1. various of the tour of the group to the vineyards
2. SOUNDBITE 1 (English): IVAYLO NIKOLAEV IORDANOV, Charge d'Affaires a.i. of the Embassy of the Republic of Bulgaria
3. various of the wine factory
4. SOUNDBITE 2 (Japanese): CHIKAMATSU SHIGEHIRO, Director of Beijing Office, Council of Local Authorities for International Relations (CLAIR)
5. various of the wine factory
6. SOUNDBITE 3 (English): WINFRED NII OKAI HAMMOND, Ghanaian Ambassador to China

STORYLINE:

A group of foreign envoys, diplomats and representatives from international organizations has been deeply impressed by the development of wine industry against the harsh environment in northwest China's Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region after a recent on-site visit.

Ningxia has emerged as China's largest wine-producing region after over 40 years of development. It now has 228 wineries and grape-growing enterprises, which produced 138 million bottles of wine in 2022, attracting consumers in China and beyond.

SOUNDBITE 1 (English): IVAYLO NIKOLAEV IORDANOV, Charge d'Affaires a.i. of the Embassy of the Republic of Bulgaria
"We are very interested and impressed by the wine industry in Ningxia, which has achieved remarkable results in a relatively short period of time, and has become one of the most promising and dynamic wine regions in China and beyond.
We admire the vision, determination, and creativity of the Ningxia winemakers, who have overcome the harsh natural conditions of the Gobi Desert, and have applied advanced technology and management to produce high-quality wines that reflect the unique terroir and culture of Ningxia."

SOUNDBITE 2 (Japanese): CHIKAMATSU SHIGEHIRO, Director of Beijing Office, Council of Local Authorities for International Relations (CLAIR)
"I have heard before that Ningxia is a relatively dry and arid area. During the on-site visit, I found that the green efforts and ecological protection here are doing so well, which is attributed to the local people's hard work. I'm deeply touched by the Chinese people's great awareness of protecting the environment while achieving remarkable economic progress." 

SOUNDBITE 3 (English): WINFRED NII OKAI HAMMOND, Ghanaian Ambassador to China
"Where we are today is amazing. The transformation from the very dry, harsh environment (to) that you can now get to establish vineyards to produce top quality wine. It's a great souvenir for me to take back to my country."

Xinhua News Agency correspondents reporting from Yinchuan, China.
(XHTV)