A shipment of 1.15 tons of high-quality cherries from Australia was imported into the Chinese mainland via an air-land fresh product express line from Hong Kong Airport on Sunday under the supervision and clearance of Gongbei Customs at the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge.

The imports followed the signing of a cooperation memorandum on inspection and quarantine supervision of transshipped airborne fruits between Gongbei Customs in Zhuhai, Guangdong province, and its counterparts in Hong Kong, marking a new route for Australian cherries entering the Chinese mainland market.

After being picked, the cherries were airlifted to the Hong Kong airport and then transported over the bridge by cold chain trucks via the air-land fresh product express line.

The shipment was transshipped via the dedicated express line at Hong Kong Airport and reached the comprehensive designated supervision site at the bridge port in less than an hour.

Customs clearance at the mega-cross sea bridge was also very quick, ensuring that the cherries could reach consumers within 48 hours of picking, according to Shu Xueming, deputy general manager of Zhuhai Huichang Transportation Investment.

"The stable and predictable customs environment gives us confidence in serving more fresh fruit import clients in the future," said Shu.

To ensure the smooth entry of this first shipment of cherries, Customs coordinated with the enterprise in advance to track flight schedules, cargo information, and transportation plans, according to Qiu Huimin, deputy section chief of the third supervision section of the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge Customs.