Iván Marambio, President of Asoex, gave an interesting interview to the Chinese media Xinhua, where he referred to various topics, including the recent visit to the Asian country and the relevance of the Chinese economy at a global level.
"The growth capacity of the Chinese economy and the potential for trade exchange in the Asian country are essential to advance global recovery after the pandemic, in the midst of the economic crisis that is ravaging the world", Ivan Marambio, president of the Chilean Fruit Exporters Association (ASOEX), told Xinhua.
«Today, in this globalized, interconnected world, the growth and trade capacity of a power like China is fundamental for global growth. Without the movement that China generates in the world, especially in countries like Chile, there would be no growth in the rest of the world,» Marambio said.
Marambio visited China last January, when the arrivals of Chilean cherries were at their peak. The purpose of the tour, according to Xinhua, was to "to reaffirm China as one of the main markets for fresh Chilean fruit and to expand opportunities in that country, the main destination for cherries produced in the valleys of the central-southern region, which receives 88 percent of the annual production, which would be equivalent to 83 million five-kilo boxes this season."
In this regard, the leader of Asoex said: «We started the trip in Dalian, then we went to Shanghai, we went through Shenzhen, Guangzhou (…) We had the opportunity to meet with people from the ports, supermarket chains, e-commerce (…) We were with wholesale markets, authorities, importers, receivers and Chilean exporters there.»
In turn, Marambio referred to the urgency of traveling to the Asian country: "The idea was to be there immediately as soon as the COVID-19 restrictions were lifted (…) The Chinese market is very important for us, not only for cherries, but for all our fruit. We were interested in giving a signal that it is a tremendously important market," the union leader told Xinhua.
The president of Asoex highlighted to the Chinese media "the agility of the procedures, the hustle and bustle of the cities and ports, together with the high influx of public in the markets he visited; good news for local producers competing for the preference of the "sophisticated" Chinese consumer."
«China is at the forefront of the evolution of the global consumer (…) The Chinese consumer is very demanding, quality is essential (…) It is impressive to see the consumer checking the fruit, they want to take the best product, a good product», Marambio told Xinhua.
Another point that Marambio highlighted during the interview was that “the unparalleled explosion of e-commerce in China has evolved the way in which buyers acquire products, so merchants in the South American country have had to adapt to this growing trend.”
In this context, Asoex has just renewed a cooperation agreement with Alibaba Group, in order to analyze consumer preferences in China regarding purchasing channels, product type, payment methods, among others.
«For us, a decrease in China's potential or a change in its relationship with the Chilean market is unimaginable. It is essential for us», stressed Iván Marambio during the interview with the Chinese media.
According to Xinhua, "in recent decades, Chile has established itself as a purely exporting country with a policy of economic openness to the world that promotes trade, which acts as a driving force for its internal economy. Along this path, China managed to become the main commercial partner of the South American country in 2009 and among the top destinations for national products such as copper and a series of foods."
«The case of cherries is a very clear example. The growth of cherries, now the main export fruit of Chile by export value, has been produced by the Chinese market, by the consumption that takes place in China», Marambio said.
The leader of Asoex pointed out the intention of Chilean producers to be able to reach more ports and sectors of China with Chilean fruit: "We will continue to penetrate China and there we will be able to find a consumer with different characteristics that, obviously, we also want to know (…) We want the fruit to reach China as widely as possible," concluded the president of ASOEX.
Source: https://spanish.news.cn/20230208/2d748cea5bea40fab28f32006084b5d4/c.html
