At 2:00 p.m. on September 8, inside the Eastern Airlines Cold Chain Processing Center—just a 15-minute drive from Chengdu Shuangliu International Airport—plump, Norwegian chilled salmon moved steadily along conveyor belts on the primary processing line operated by Sichuan Mayel Ocean Food Co., Ltd. The imported fish were transported to production workshops for cutting and packaging before distribution to markets across China. Just 72 hours earlier, these same salmon were still feeding in Norway's deep-sea fisheries near the Arctic Circle.

Meanwhile, at the Chengdu Aerotropolis International Convention Center, also adjacent to the airport, the "2025 Sichuan Promotional Event for Establishing the Imported Salmon Distribution Hub", hosted by the provincial government and organized by the Department of Commerce, was underway. Witnessed by salmon-related enterprises and business associations from both Sichuan and Norway, orders exceeding one billion yuan were signed and sealed on site. The event featured launches, including a salmon culinary map and the debut of antibiotic-free Norwegian salmon in the Chinese market, accelerating the development of the imported salmon distribution hub.

Confidence

China's salmon imports increased by 39 percent year-on-year in H1 this year, with the majority transiting through Chengdu to destinations across the country.

This marks the fifth visit to Chengdu for Sigmund Bjørgo, Country Director in China of the Norwegian Seafood Council, who adopts a Chinese name to symbolize his commitment to deepening engagement in the Chinese market.

"China's salmon market continues to expand, and Chengdu is increasingly becoming a pivotal hub for salmon distribution. In the first half of this year, the country's salmon imports grew by 39 percent year-on-year, with the majority of shipments transiting through Chengdu to destinations across the country," stated Sigmund Bjørgo at the event, expressing strong confidence in the Chinese and Sichuan salmon markets.

To illustrate this transformation, he presented a data chart highlighting the evolution of the Chinese market: As of August 2025, China has become Norway's third-largest seafood export market, climbing three positions from the previous year. Simultaneously, China now ranks as the world's sixth-largest market for Atlantic salmon, surpassing traditional consumer nations such as Brazil and Spain.

Norway, the world's leading salmon producer, is projected to produce 1.66 million metric tons of salmon in 2025, accounting for 54 percent of global supply. In Sigmund Bjørgo's view, even though the consumption of salmon in China has been witnessing rapid growth, its potential remains immense. "China's annual per capita salmon consumption stands at just 0.9 kg, compared to South Korea's 8.2 kg, indicating that the Chinese salmon market remains in its early development stage," he said.

This anticipation is now materializing into concrete orders that Norwegian salmon enterprises are signing in Sichuan.

Also present at the event was Oliver Li Qing, China General Manager of Norwegian Nordlaks Salmon Production Co., Ltd. Nordlaks signed a long-term contract with Sichuan Mayel Ocean Food Co., Ltd. to provide Sichuan with premium, stable supplies of Norwegian salmon.

As a major Norwegian enterprise specializing in deep-sea salmon farming within the Arctic Circle, Nordlaks produces 80,000 to 100,000 metric tons of salmon annually. This time, the two sides not only signed a long-term cooperation agreement but also made an innovative foray. Mérieux NutriSciences, a global comprehensive certification and testing institution, issued the first certification for antibiotic-free (no antibiotic residues) Norwegian salmon farming in China. This marks the official entry of high-quality antibiotic-free Norwegian salmon into the Chinese market and will facilitate more Norwegian salmon to reach the dining tables of Chinese consumers via the Chengdu port.

"In the future, we may continue to increase our investment in the salmon market in Sichuan by establishing a joint-venture company," Oliver Li Qing said.

Behind the Scenes

The Western Region Fresh Product Port holds the "confidence" for Sichuan to build an imported salmon distribution hub.

Compared with the similar events for mature salmon import and consumption markets in cities such as Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, and Shenzhen, why has this promotional event held in Sichuan, an inland province in western China, received high attention from the Norwegian side and various industry players?

China Eastern Airlines Cold Chain Logistics (Shanghai) Co., Ltd., stepping into the picture as an out-of-province investor, offered a third-party point. As a logistics subsidiary of China Eastern Airlines, the company leverages the transportation capacity of over 800 passenger aircraft bellies and 18 dedicated freighters. In partnership with Chengdu, it has established the Western Region Fresh Product Port in Shuangliu District. The first-phase salmon processing factory has been successfully implemented, generating an import-export value of 980 million yuan by the end of last year, with the import value growing 40 percent year-on-year in the first half of this year.

"Stable air transport capacity, continuously improved industrial chain ecosystem, and strong consumer demand collectively drive the rapid development of the Western Region Fresh Product Port," said Qiu Dejun, Marketing Center Manager of the company. The salmon processing factory's daily production capacity has increased from 2-3 tons during the trial phase to the current 12 tons. Approximately 40 percent of the factory's products are sold locally in Chengdu, with the remainder distributed to Shanghai, Beijing, Guangdong, Shaanxi, and other regions, according to Qiu.

The establishment of the salmon processing factory has also enabled China Eastern Cold Chain to extend from selling raw fish materials to downstream products, and transform from raw material trade to deep processing.

Supported by stable transportation capacity and an expanding industrial chain, increasing volumes of salmon products are flowing into Sichuan. Zhang Min, a customs officer at Chengdu Shuangliu International Airport Customs, introduced that in the first seven months of this year, the value of imported chilled salmon in Sichuan increased by 18.5 percent year-on-year, accounting for 12.5 percent of the nationwide trade volume for such products, a further expansion of its share.

In fact, these factors alone do not fully represent Sichuan's confidence in establishing its imported salmon distribution hub. At the event site, an industry insider pointed out that "Sichuan has a food processing industry with a trillion-yuan scale, and its processing and handling capacity for chilled salmon ranks second in the country. Leveraging its robust capabilities as China's 'third-largest aviation hub', Chengdu has already achieved comprehensive coverage of all major salmon-producing countries worldwide. Moreover, Chengdu port has established a 'green channel' for the rapid clearance of fresh products, shortening the customs clearance time for imported goods to within 1.5 hours. All these factors jointly contribute to the continuous growth of the salmon market."

Nowadays, over 90 percent of imported salmon shipments from around the world arrive in Chengdu first and then are distributed to various parts of the country.

Promotion Initiatives

Launching the first "Salmon Culinary Map" series and incubating the "Sichuan-Style Salmon" IP

For Sichuan, home to a "City of Gastronomy", the imported salmon that demands ultra-freshness also sparks innovative culinary fusion when it reaches this land of flavors. At the event, the Department of Commerce launched the first "Salmon Culinary Map", initiating a salmon gastronomic cultural journey.

At the promotional event, innovative fusion dishes such as "Bobo Chicken Marinated Salmon", "Erjingtiao Chili Fermented Salmon Sashimi Rolls", and "Shuangliu Winter Strawberry Salmon Coral Jelly" were unveiled and sampled, astounding attendees with their creativity and flavor while showcasing the potential of future consumer markets.

"Leveraging Sichuan cuisine's global influence, we will innovatively incubate the 'Sichuan-Style Salmon' IP and intensify research on salmon gastronomic culture and product development," stated a relevant official from the Department of Commerce. The official stated that Sichuan is actively introducing and cultivating international supply chain enterprises and processing manufacturers, supporting companies in engaging in full-chain development spanning import, processing and sales of chilled salmon. Through independently developed patented fully automated production lines, deep-processed products such as Sichuan-style seasoned salmon sauce, smoked salmon, and canned goods have been created, forming a complete industrial chain from whole fish imports to refined processing, increasing product added value by over 60 percent.

Additionally, the event recognized eight salmon culinary culture promotion bases primarily comprising universities, industrial parks, and enterprises, in a bid to amplify the dissemination of salmon's delicious, nutritious, and healthy consumption concepts while guiding the expansion of the consumer market.

"As consumption levels rise across China's third- and fourth-tier cities, these regions have seen remarkable growth in salmon consumption. Sichuan, with access to a consumer market of nearly 400 million people in surrounding areas, has immense potential for future expansion," analyzed Fang Hong, General Manager of China Eastern Airlines Cold Chain Logistics (Shanghai) Co., Ltd. In the first half of this year, the company's salmon imports increased by 40 percent year-on-year, driven primarily by demand from third- and fourth-tier cities—consumer groups that have been effectively reached through e-commerce livestreaming and other platform channels, Fang said.

Moreover, as Chengdu gradually establishes a robust salmon industry ecosystem, the company plans to develop a high-end fruit packaging and processing facility, a live seafood holding center, and an advanced pharmaceutical distribution hub in the city under the second-phase plan for the Western Region Fresh Product Port. These initiatives will collectively create a new cold chain logistics base, significantly enhancing the distribution and radiating capabilities for premium consumer goods, with salmon as a representative product.