Pingyi, Linyi Partners with Austria to Pioneer New Frontiers in Cross-Border Collaboration

LINYI, China, Mar. 27, 2025 /Xinhua-AsiaNet/–

Recently, an intercontinental “cloud dialogue” on the food industry was convened between Pingyi County, Linyi City, Shandong Province, and Austria. Shandong Huihuang Foods and Austria’s century-old dairy powerhouse Bel Group held in-depth talks on collaboration in canned goods and cheese production. This dynamic exchange, which highlighted the convergence of cutting-edge “24-hour ultra-fresh canning” technology with Europe’s enduring tradition of artisanal cheese-making, has sparked widespread interest and injected new vitality into the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) industrial partnerships.

 

Zhang Jiaqiang from Shandong Huihuang Foods said, Pingyi’s canned industry traces its roots back to the mid-1980s, evolving from small-scale family workshops to a modernized corporate system, and transitioning from fragmented production models to standardized operations. Today, the industry processes approximately 900,000 tons of various canned fruits and vegetables annually, accounting for one-third of China’s total canned fruit production. As Zhang proudly remarked, “Wherever you find canned goods, you’ll find products from Pingyi.”

 

During the exchange, Zhang demonstrated the canning process to Austrian delegates, using mandarin orange cans as a case study. The process covers multiple stages, including sourcing fresh produce, grading, blanching, peeling, segmenting, acid-alkali treatment, precision sorting, filling, syrup infusion, sealing, sterilization, rigorous physico-chemical inspection, and packaging for distribution. Remarkably, the entire process from raw material intake to the delivery of finished products can be completed within 24 hours, ensuring that every can deliver nature’s peak flavor and making premium fruit accessible to consumers worldwide.

 

Boyan Neytchev underscored the 160-year history of the Bel Group, with a global presence spanning the Americas, Europe, and Asia. This “cloud dialogue” marks a new chapter in the internationalization of China’s county-level economy — Pingyi is breaking through traditional OEM limitations with its integrated approach combining technical standards, digital infrastructure, and business model innovation. Meanwhile, Austria’s century-old enterprise is leveraging Eastern efficiency to redefine industrial paradigms.

 

Source: Pingyi County People’s Government