A large number of cherries are distributed at the Haiguangxing Fruit Market in Jiaxing, Zhejiang province. [Photo/tidenews.com.cn]

Jiaxing, a city not known for cherry production, has evolved into China's national transit hub for imported cherries.

The city’s strategic location at the center of the Yangtze River Delta and the East China region has attracted numerous imported fruit merchants seeking its convenient logistics. Jiaxing has also built up its own imported fruit market, now the second largest in the country, with an annual transaction volume of more than 40,000 containers.

From January to November 2023, the sales volume of imported cherries in Jiaxing fruit market reached 31,500 metric tons, an increase of 11.37 percent year-on-year, with sales amounting to 2.35 billion yuan ($328.76 million).

"Jiaxing is a 'key' to accessing the Chinese market, especially the Yangtze River Delta market," expressed Liu Xiang, the China regional manager of Chilean fruit exporter - Prize Fruit. He added that he has been cooperating with the Jiaxing fruit market for four years, now exporting 700 containers of cherries annually, 20 percent of which are routed through the Jiaxing fruit market to major cities across China.

Jiaxing fruit market has also established strategic partnerships with e-commerce platforms and chain supermarkets to ensure the supply and quality of cherries. It has also developed its own transportation chain, allowing the delivery of cherries to faraway places such as the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region, the Inner Mongolia autonomous region, and Heilongjiang.