STORY: Chilean cherries popular on Chinese market
SHOOTING TIME: Feb. 1, 2024
DATELINE: Feb. 4, 2024
LENGTH: 0:02:12
LOCATION: Santiago/ZHENGZHOU, China
CATEGORY: ECONOMY

SHOTLIST:
1. STANDUP 1 (Chinese): ZHU YUBO, Xinhua correspondent
2. STANDUP 2 (Chinese): ZHU YUBO, Xinhua correspondent
3. STANDUP 3 (Chinese): LIU ZHENKUN, Xinhua correspondent
4. SOUNDBITE 1 (Chinese): XIAN MING, General manager of a fruit company
5. SOUNDBITE 2 (Chinese): CHEN QIUMEI, General manager of a fruit company

STORYLINE:

STANDUP 1 (Chinese): ZHU YUBO, Xinhua correspondent
"I am currently at a fruit wholesale market in Santiago, the capital of Chile. Let's share this sweetness from the Southern Hemisphere, take this box of cherries."

STANDUP 2 (Chinese): ZHU YUBO, Xinhua correspondent
"You can see that there are many Chilean cherries on the fruit stand in front of me. In recent years, Chilean cherries have become increasingly popular among Chinese consumers due to their crispy and sweet taste, and Chile is one of the most important producers and exporters of cherries in the world. According to the Chilean Fruit Exporters Association, the export volume of cherries from the country is expected to reach 400,000 tonnes in the 2023 and 24 production seasons, with over 80 percent to be exported to China. Every year around the Spring Festival, many Chilean cherries arrive in China by sea and air. Like such a box of cherries in my hand, it can arrive in China after more than 20 days of shipping and be delivered to my family in Henan. Let's share the sweetness from the Southern Hemisphere. Zhenkun, take this box of cherries."

STANDUP 3 (Chinese): LIU ZHENKUN, Xinhua correspondent
"Thank you Yubo, I got this box of cherries. Now, I am at Henan Wanbang International Farmers' Market, which is the largest agricultural wholesale market in the central region of China. It supplies 60 percent of the fruit and vegetable consumption in Henan Province, and its business covers all parts of the country. A small cherry across the Pacific Ocean has given Chinese consumers a taste of the sweetness of the Southern Hemisphere. And more people have tasted the sweetness brought about by closer trade ties between China and Chile."

SOUNDBITE 1 (Chinese): XIAN MING, General manager of a fruit company
"I came to this market in Zhengzhou mainly to buy cherries. When I arrived in Lanzhou, the fruit was sold out in a day, and I sent a carload of cherries every other day. When I arrived in Qinghai, customers from Lhasa came to us and bought the cherries."

SOUNDBITE 2 (Chinese): CHEN QIUMEI, General manager of a fruit company
"As the Spring Festival approaches, the sales volume of cherries is very high. Our import volume of cherries has increased by 20 percent to 30 percent compared to last year. The day before yesterday, we received 8 containers of cherries. Yesterday, we received 6 containers, and today we also received 6 containers. Each container weighs nearly 20 tonnes, and the fruit would be sold out within the day."

Xinhua News Agency correspondents reporting from Santiago/Zhengzhou, China.
(XHTV)