Blue crabs, a popular local product in Sanmen county, Taizhou, East China's Zhejiang province, were exported to Europe and the United States for the first time, Taizhou Daily reported on July 16.

"Ten boxes of live Sanmen blue crabs weighing 150 kilograms have been successfully delivered to Europe and the US from Taotou village in Sanmen," said Wang Weilin, general manager of Datao Agriculture Development Co Ltd, after receiving feedback from his foreign client.

Wang noted that the sales of blue crabs were affected by the COVID-19 outbreak, and so they decided to tap into the overseas market.

In order to be exported to a foreign market, Sanmen blue crabs needed to pass more than 50 inspections.

Moreover, to ensure foreign customers can enjoy the fresh blue crabs to their fullest, Wang adopted cold-chain transportation with temperatures at 25 degrees Celsius, and also made sure to complete the entire process, including catching, packaging, delivery, and customs clearance, within 72 hours.

According to Wang, Taotou has exported roughly 20,000 kg of clams and Sanmen blue crabs since June this year.

Sanmen is the largest sea farming county in Zhejiang and has the honorary title of "home of blue crabs and seafood" in China. Sanmen blue crabs are the county's trademark brand, with an estimated value of more than 4 billion yuan ($571 million).