Unprecedented levels of imported goods have been recently sent to Ningbo, East China's Zhejiang province, as more and more local residents prefer to enjoy them or send them as gifts for the upcoming Chinese New Year. 

These goods include the live crabs from the Americas, cherries from Chile, wine from Australia and olive oil from Greece.

A batch of crabs from the Americas, weighing two metric tons, arrived at Ningbo Lishe International Airport on Jan 27, the first time that the crabs have been imported to the city.

The crabs were sent immediately after they were caught, and there are another 38 tons to be sent in the following days, according to a manager in charge of importing the crabs. 

The popularity of the imported goods can be partly attributed to the reduced tariffs placed on them in recent years. 

The fifth round of tariff cuts under the China-Australia Free Trade Agreement began to be implemented on Jan 1, with many products imported from Australia having no tariffs placed on them at all, such as wine, lobsters, salmon, crabs, oysters, honey and cherries.

The number of product varieties imported from Australia to China that need no tariff now stands at 5,418, greatly boosting the foreign trade between the two countries.

According to Ningbo Customs, the city imported 276,000 tons of meat, sea food, fruit, beverages and other foodstuffs from overseas countries in 2018, worth nearly 6 billion yuan ($896 million), up 15.7 percent year on year.

Customs officials from Ningbo Lishe International Airport examine the crabs imported from the Americas. [Photo/zj.zjol.com]