Editor’s note: The island nation of Cyprus is located at the junction of three continents: Europe, Asia and Africa. China has proposed the Belt and Road Initiative, aiming to build trade and infrastructure networks connecting these continents. With the help of the initiative, trade and cooperation between Cyprus and China has steadily developed through the years.

Because of the Belt and Road Initiative, more and more overseas goods are getting easier access to China, and Ground Zero for all this trade is the supermarket. If you want to buy some imported juice in China, you will surprisingly find that most of the travelers on the shelf are coming from one particular country: Cyprus.

Located in the eastern Mediterranean, Cyprus is making a name for itself in many ways. Beautiful sea views… the world famous Halloumi cheese... and 300 days of sunshine a year, the ideal climate for fruit production.

With a history of more than half a century, KEAN is the largest and most well-known juice manufacturer in Cyprus. Kikoula Cotsapas is KEAN's chairperson. She tells us, there's no home in Cyprus that does not have one KEAN product. The company exports half of its production to Europe, Africa, America, Australia and Asia, and China is a "very big client". She says the exports to China double every year, and the company is also doing private labor for various Chinese companies. They hope things will go even better in the future. 

However, things weren't so peachy back in 2013... economic growth in Cyprus stalled due to its financial crisis. But things are now looking up. The nation is now getting back on track, with more and more foreign investment pouring in. And one of the major investors? Again, China.

Phidias Pilides, the President of Cyprus Chamber of Commerce and Industry, told us, China is now the 7th largest trading partner of Cyprus. And if exclude EU countries, it will be the 2nd largest trading partner of Cyprus in the world. He said Cyprus exported 38 million euros worth of goods to China in 2016. Meanwhile, imports from China reached about 240 million euros, mostly electro-mechanical products and furniture. Pilides said the imbalance between imports and exports is commonly seen in trade ties between many European countries and China, since the Asian giant is very competitive in the pricing of its good. And in 2017, imports from China doubled from the previous year.

Huang Xingyuan, the Chinese Ambassador to Cyprus, said the total volume of bilateral trade is not too large, but the trade quality is high. He told us the two countries have cooperation in sectors such as satellite development, aviation and telecommunication, as well as finance and other sectors, even in entertainment. Such a broad range of cooperation is not so common in other bilateral relations with China. Though situated half a world apart, the two countries have been brought closer and closer through the years, thanks to the ever-expanding path of the Belt and Road Initiative. What people in China know about the charming, sun-blessed island nation of Cyprus in the coming years will surely be much more than a box of juice.

(“ON THE BELT AND ROAD” is a ten-episode serial report made by CGTN. The reporters visited two countries along the route of China-proposed “Belt and Road” initiative, Cyprus and Egypt, and tell stories about the initiative’s influence to the world economy and people’s livelihood.)