A shipment of Benin's pineapples touched down at an airport in Changsha, capital of central China's Hunan Province, on Monday, leading to the African fruit's entry into the Chinese market.

A batch of pineapples weighing 1 tonne arrived at the Changsha Huanghua International Airport at 4 p.m. Monday after a 17-hour flight from Benin. The Changsha Customs ensured the fresh fruit import was swiftly cleared by 6 p.m. on the same day, enabling it to reach the market.

Benin's pineapples made their debut in China as one of the African specialties exhibited at the 6th China International Import Expo (CIIE) in 2023.

This time, the African fruit was brought in general trade. Wang Jue, head of Hunan Zhongjianda International Trade Co., Ltd., the importer of the shipment, highlighted the policy support behind the trade.

"Under China's tariff policies, the trade enjoys zero-tariff treatment, which has significantly cut our trade costs," Wang said. "We plan to distribute these pineapples to chain supermarkets and fruit stores both in and outside Hunan. Early market feedback is promising, and we expect to scale up the imports in the near future."

Since last December, China has given zero-tariff treatment to 100 percent of tariff lines for all least developed countries, including 33 African countries that have established diplomatic relations with China.

China is also advancing the implementation of the zero-tariff treatment to 100 percent of tariff lines for 53 African countries with which it has diplomatic relations. Apart from favorable tariffs, Chinese officials and companies are keen to promote African products and boost their popularity among Chinese consumers.

By the end of 2024, China had been Africa's largest trading partner for 16 consecutive years. China's total trade value with Africa increased from less than 100 billion yuan (about 14.2 billion U.S. dollars) in 2000 to 2.1 trillion yuan in 2024, registering an average annual growth rate of 14.2 percent.

Li Ying, a customs official at the Changsha airport, said the regular import of Benin's pineapples is expected to contribute to the airport's development into a national air hub for imported fresh produce.

Statistics from the Changsha Customs show that in the first 11 months of 2025, Hunan's total trade volume with Africa reached 53.99 billion yuan, up 14.3 percent year on year. Among these, imports of African agricultural products totaled 460 million yuan, up 19.4 percent from the same period last year.