A container vessel loads cargo at Nansha Port in Guangzhou, Guangdong province, on Tuesday as the port launched its first direct shipping route to the west coast of South America. [QIU QUANLIN/CHINA DAILY]

A shipping vessel docked at the Phase II Terminal of the Nansha Port in Guangzhou, the capital of Guangdong province, on Tuesday, marking the launch of the first direct route from Guangzhou to the western coast of South America.

After loading 400 containers of electronics, household appliances and other products manufactured in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, the vessel will start its journey bound for South America.

The WSA3 route, operated with 11 vessels of 10,062 TEU container capacity, will connect Guangzhou's Nansha Port with key ports in Latin America including Chancay Port in Peru, Manzanillo Port in Mexico and San Antonio Port in Chile.

"The route's opening will help boost the comprehensive upgrade of the logistics channel between the Greater Bay Area and the western coast of Latin America, further enhancing the golden channel for economic and trade exchanges between China and Latin America," said Sun Bangcheng, deputy general manager of Guangzhou Port Company Limited.

China has become the second-largest trading partner of Latin America, following the signing of the first free trade agreement between China and Latin American countries 20 years ago.

The trade volume between China and Latin America has grown from around $12 billion in 2000 to approximately $500 billion in 2024, according to Customs data.

The new route directly connecting Chancay Port in Peru, operated by COSCO Shipping Ports Limited, is an important project under the joint construction of the Belt and Road Initiative between China and Peru.

Serving as South America's first smart and green port, the operation of Chancay Port is seen as a model of infrastructure cooperation between China and Latin America, helping shorten the sea transportation time between Peru and China to 23 days, saving over 20 percent in logistics costs.

"This route not only provides a fast lane for 'Made in China' products like household appliances, electronics, furniture and toys from the Greater Bay Area to venture into the Latin American market, but also enables high-quality tropical fruit, Pacific coast seafood, Andean wines, as well as commodities like pulp, fishmeal and minerals to enter the Chinese market," said Sun.

Located in the Nansha port area, the Nansha International Cold Chain Project has built three multistory cold storage facilities, offering a total storage capacity of 227,000 metric tons, according to the port company.

With the ability of inspecting 162 refrigerated containers simultaneously, the facilities ensure that the seamless cold chain services for temperature-controlled goods are never broken, from inspection through to storage.

Dubbed "Asia's largest refrigerator", the project has supported the Chilean cherry express route at Nansha Port since 2019. Chile's cherry exports surged 51.4 percent year-on-year in 2024, with China remaining the South American country's top cherry export market.

"With the operation of the new shipping route and other logistics support, more refrigerated cargo such as beef, lamb, white shrimp, salmon, squid, grapes, avocados, prunes and plums are expected to efficiently reach Chinese consumers through Nansha port," said Sun.