Customs officers inspect imported cherries from Uzbekistan at Hangzhou International Airport on May 26. [Photo provided by Hangzhou Customs]

Zhejiang province's trade with the five Central Asian countries reached a record high in the first five months of 2025, with total imports and exports hitting 20.42 billion yuan ($2.84 billion), up 16.5 percent year-on-year, according to Hangzhou Customs data released on June 16.

Exports stood at 17.52 billion yuan, marking a 20.8 percent increase and setting new highs for both total trade and outbound shipments over the same period.

On May 26, Zhejiang received its first shipment of fresh Uzbek cherries directly from Tashkent to Hangzhou. The cargo was delivered via the direct flight route launched in November 2023, which is Zhejiang's first passenger air link with Uzbekistan.

This direct route not only improves convenience for travelers but also opens a streamlined channel for importing Central Asian agricultural products, said Xu Yandan, a customs officer at Hangzhou International Airport.

Hangzhou Customs streamlined clearance using a "pre-declaration and instant inspection" model. With documentation checks beginning before takeoff and a new inspection site just 300 meters from the apron, the entire batch cleared customs in just one hour.

From January to May, Zhejiang imported 250 million yuan worth of agricultural goods from the five Central Asian countries, representing a 7 percent increase. Imports of fresh and dried fruits including cherries surged 9.4 times year-on-year.

Uzbekistan was Zhejiang's top export destination in Central Asia, receiving 7.27 billion yuan in goods, up 14.6 percent and accounting for 41.5 percent of Zhejiang's exports to the region. Kazakhstan remained the largest source of imports, supplying 2.38 billion yuan worth of goods, up 1.9 percent year-on-year.

Land transport, featuring the China-Europe freight services, now dominates the trade corridor. From January to May, 18.8 billion yuan — or 92.1 percent — of trade was conducted by land, up 17.4 percent and 12.6 percentage points higher than in 2013.

Zhejiang's trade with Central Asia has grown from 7.5 billion yuan in 2013 to 44.67 billion yuan in 2024, with an average annual increase of 17.6 percent, which was 8.8 percentage points above the province's overall trade growth.