Apples are seen in Chanang County of Shannan City, southwest China's Xizang Autonomous Region, Nov. 15, 2024. (Xinhua)

Southwest China's Xizang Autonomous Region made a breakthrough in trade on Saturday when two vehicles carrying 30 tonnes of locally grown apples departed for Nepal from the region's Shannan City, which borders Bhutan and India.

This marked the city's first-ever export of local products, solidifying a significant step in the region's push for economic integration with South Asia. With this breakthrough, all six cities and one prefecture of Xizang are now exporters.

The apples have arrived at the Gyirong land port on the China-Nepal border, according to port officials.

Workers load apples onto a truck in Chanang County of Shannan City, southwest China's Xizang Autonomous Region, Nov. 15, 2024. (Xinhua)

"The launch of these exports is a critical measure for opening up to South Asia under the Belt and Road Initiative. It will support local enterprises in exploring the South Asian market," said Gyangkar, deputy mayor of Shannan.

Apples from Xizang's Nyingchi City were exported to Nepal in April. These agricultural products join a growing list of Xizang's exports, which include cashmere, highland barley wine and natural drinking water sourced from the Qinghai-Xizang Plateau.

Customs data shows that the region's foreign trade totaled nearly 8.44 billion yuan (about 1.17 billion U.S. dollars) in the first three quarters of this year, up 10.2 percent year on year. Of that trade, the export value hit nearly 7.46 billion yuan.