ALLADA, Benin, March 19 (Xinhua) -- Benin will make full use of China's zero-tariff policy to expand exports and promote a new pattern of balanced and mutually beneficial bilateral trade, Benin's minister of industry and trade said on Wednesday.

Shadiya Alimatou Assouman, the minister, made the remarks at the official launch ceremony for exports of Benin's Sugarloaf pineapples to the Chinese market, held in Allada, the country's economic capital.

The event was attended by Zhang Wei, Chinese ambassador to Benin, and representatives from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Economy and Finance, and the Investment and Export Promotion Agency of Benin.

Assouman said the successful export of pineapples to China marked a historic moment for implementing the consensus reached by the two heads of state.

Gaston Cossi Dossouhoui, minister of agriculture, livestock and fisheries, said that the initiative represents an important opportunity to boost the modernization of Benin's agricultural sector, promote employment and improve people's livelihoods.

The Beninese side hopes to leverage China's vast market to export more high-quality agricultural products and turn bilateral agricultural cooperation into a driver of national development, he said.

For his part, Zhang said that the pineapple trade is a landmark achievement in deepening practical cooperation between the two countries, opening a new channel for Benin's high-quality agricultural products to enter the Chinese market and vividly demonstrating a strategic partnership featuring mutual benefit and close people-to-people ties.

The Sugarloaf pineapple is the first Beninese product to obtain a geographical indication recognized by the African Intellectual Property Organization.

Unlike the more common round or oval pineapples, Benin's variety is elongated in shape and typically green in color. Unique to the country, it is known as Sugarloaf and is one of Benin's major agricultural export products.

In September 2023, China and Benin signed a protocol on phytosanitary requirements for the export of fresh pineapples to China, allowing the product's official access to the Chinese market. ■