Chilean Ambassador Delivers Chilean Cherries to JD Customer to Celebrate the Year of Tiger
by Yuchuan Wang
“When I first came to China in 1991, I hoped to export Chilean wine and fruit to China. But there were few people who believed that, as Chile is far away,” said H.E. Luis Schmidt, the Ambassador of Chile to China, on a special trip to deliver Chilean cherries to JD consumers in Beijing during JD’s Chinese New Year Grand Promotion.
Some 30 years later today, China has become the largest market in the world for Chilean cherries. Last year, 92% of Chilean cherries for export were sold to China.
Wearing a JD courier suit, Ambassador Schmidt rode a JD delivery tricycle and then helped carry a cold chain box full of Chilean cherries to the doorstep of Ms. Zhang, a customer who had ordered the fruit. “The red color of cherries makes it a perfect nianhuo (a Chinese word for merchandise sold for Chinese New Year) during Spring Festival,” Ms. Zhang said.
Chilean Ambassador to China, H.E. Luis Schmidt, riding a JD delivery tricycle to deliver Chilean cherries to Beijing consumers
Chile is the first country from South America that established a National Pavilion on JD.com in 2020, offering products from 30 Chilean brands. In the current Chilean cherry season, JD Fresh, JD.com’s fresh produce business, has increased its direct purchase of the fruit by 300% compared with that of last year’s cherry season.
The company’s import and cross-border e-commerce marketplace, JD Worldwide, has attracted over 20,000 brands from more than 100 countries to launch their business on JD. As a gateway for international brands to China, JD.com has procured RMB 310 billion yuan’s worth of imported products in the last two years to fulfill the increasing demands from Chinese consumers.
Ambassador H.E. Luis Schmidt was among the other eight Ambassadors to China from Argentina, Denmark (Charge D’Affaire), Georgia, Malaysia, Moldova, Peru, Rwanda and Sri Lanka to participate in JD.com’s new year parcel delivery activity. Italian Trade Commissioner Gianpaolo Bruno participated this program on behalf of his ambassador, who was under quarantine upon returning to China.
Charge D’Affaire Delivers Danish Cookies to Chinese Consumers’ Doorsteps Ahead of the Year of Tiger
by Yiming Yan
Ms. Dorthe Lange, Charge D’Affaire with the rank of ambassador of The Embassy of the Kingdom of Denmark in Beijing, knocked on the door of a local Beijinger’s home on January 10th and presented her with a Spring Festival delivery of Danish cookies.
Ms. Dorthe Lange together with the courier who is calling the consignee
Escorted by a JD courier, Ms. Dorthe Lange is the only female diplomat to take part in a special mission to deliver their countries’ products to customers in Beijing who had placed orders during JD’s Chinese New Year (CNY) Grand Promotion. Other diplomats who participated in the mission include 8 ambassadors to China from Argentina, Chile, Georgia, Malaysia, Moldova, Peru, Rwanda, and Sri Lanka, and Mr. Gianpaolo Bruno, Italian Trade Commissioner who represented the Italian ambassador in this program. The group was invited by JD.com to be special delivery envoys, delivering Spring Festival packages—along with CNY blessings—to the doorsteps of Chinese customers who have ordered their countries’ products.
The customer who received the visit is a Danish language instructor who fell in love with Danish food after studying and living in Denmark for a year. She welcomed the unexpected guest and invited the ambassador to sit down for a warm chat and shared Danish cookies the ambassador just delivered.
Danish cookies were among the top 5 products sold in Guangdong, Jiangxi, and other provinces during this year’s CNY Grand Promotion, according to data from JD Research Institute for Consumption and Industrial Development, indicating that Danish elements have been integrated into Chinese Spring Festival culture.
Ms. Dorthe Lange’s badge and trophy
“I’m more than delighted to find out that many Danish products can easily reach Chinese consumers on digital platforms like JD.com,” said Ms. Dorthe Lange.
Danish brands like Lego, B&O, and Ecco have taken off and expanded in the Chinese market, as the volume and categories of imported products have been flourishing on JD.com to meet the local consumers’ increasing demand for quality and diversity of goods.
JD has spent more than RMB 310 billion yuan on imported brand items in the last two years, establishing itself as a “gateway for international brands in China”.
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Ambassador of Peru Hand-delivers Student’s Spring Festival Purchases
by Yiming Yan
During a trip home to China, Ma, a Chinese student studying in Peru, ordered Peruvian specialties from JD.com for his family as part of his Spring Festival shopping. The delivery arrived on January 12 as scheduled, but to Ma’s surprise, one of the couriers was none other than the Peruvian Ambassador to China, Luis Quesada.
“I’m very proud that Peru has a very nice relationship with JD.com,” Luis Quesada said during the visit. “We hope that we can offer more diversities of goods for Chinese people to enjoy.”
Ambassador Luis Quesada (right) and the consumer Ma (left)
To celebrate the Chinese New Year (CNY), JD.com invited ambassadors to take part in a mission to deliver their countries’ products to JD’s customers in Beijing. Nine Ambassadors to China from Argentina, Chile, Denmark, Georgia, Malaysia, Moldova, Peru, Rwanda, Sri Lanka, and Charge D’Affaire of Denmark, Italian Trade Commissioner in China on behalf of the Italian ambassador in this program, have been named as chief promoting officers of products from their home countries to deliver Spring Festival packages to the doorsteps of Chinese customers who ordered products from those countries on JD.com.
Ma, the recipient, moved to Peru to join his father, a Shougang Group employee working in Peru. Ma is currently studying Spanish translation at his father’s job site and recently returned to China for the Chinese New Year festival. He did not expect to encounter the Peruvian ambassador by coincidence while home, he said with a laugh.
When Ma reflected on his conversation with the Ambassador during the delivery, he stated that it inspired him to continue studying Spanish and contribute more to the development of the China-Peru relationship.
Ambassador Luis Quesada with a lantern
Peru and China have deep ties, with nearly one in every ten Peruvians having Chinese ancestors—and China is currently Peru’s largest trading partner. According to a December 2021 report from the Ministry of Foreign Trade and Tourism (MINCETUR) of Peru, China-Peru trade accounted for 31.5 percent of Peru’s total trade in the previous 12 months, with total trade from January to September between the two countries reaching $23.153 billion, up 58.2 percent YOY.
In addition to quinoa, chocolate, and lovely alpaca figurines ordered by Ma, many quality goods of Peruvian origin are available on JD.com, which has been committed to meeting domestic consumers’ increasing demand for quality and variety of goods. In the last two years, JD.com’s purchase of imported brand goods has exceeded RMB 310 billion yuan.
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Sri Lankan Ambassador to China Takes a New Post as JD Courier to Deliver Online Orders for Celebrating the Year of Tiger
by Yuchuan Wang
With the approaching steps of Chinese New Year, Dr. Palitha Kohona, Ambassador of Sri Lanka to China, knocked on the door of a Beijing couple’s home, with his companion Mr. Sampath Perera, tea promotion officer from the embassy, and a JD courier. His mission was to deliver a new year parcel of a can of premium Ceylon tea to consumers, and to thank them for their purchase of Sri Lanka products.
The couple are tea aficionados, and tea has become an integral part of their lives during their spare time. They even set up a private tea house, where the Ambassador visited. Ambassador Kohona is a tea expert, he showed them how to make the Ceylon black tea on the spot.
Sri Lankan Ambassador to China Dr. Palitha Kohona (left) and Mr. Sampath Perera (right), tea promotion officer from the embassy, celebrate Chinese New Year with a Chinese couple in their Beijing home
The Ambassador said that 15 million kilograms of tea were exported to China from Sri Lanka in 2020, and the country hopes to double the volume within three years. In January 2021, a Sri Lanka national pavilion was launched on JD.com to promote local products including Ceylon tea.
The couple was also lucky to receive a gift from Ambassador Kohona, a carefully selected tea box with a gift card signed by the Ambassador and marked with the national emblem of Sri Lanka.
“It is a rare memory in my diplomatic career to deliver New Year goods to local Chinese with the JD courier,” said the Ambassador. He was excited to have the opportunity to visit a Chinese home, learn about the couple’s lives and enjoy the sweet time spent together like family.
Ambassador Palitha Kohona was among the other eight Ambassadors to China from Argentina, Chile, Denmark, Georgia, Malaysia, Moldova, Peru and Rwanda to participate in JD.com’s new year parcel delivery activity.
