At an eel farming base in Taishan, Jiangmen, as a staff member cast a load of feed into the ponds, the eels eagerly scrambled to eat, attracting many guests from the GO Guangdong Unseen Rural China Tour delegation to take photos. 

The delegation explores the eel feeding process.

"I know a lot of similarities that we have here. This is a great opportunity for the Pacific students to come over and learn!" said Josaia Gonewai, Special Administrator of the Suva City Council in Fiji, after catching an eel by hand and tasting cooked products, praising the scale of the industry and its farming techniques.

Prior to the 2025 Understanding China Conference (Guangzhou), a delegation consisting of foreign dignitaries from Sri Lanka, Iran, and Fiji, as well as media representatives from the Russian Television and Radio Broadcasting Company (RTR), South Korea's Aju Business Daily, and CCTV.com, embarked on the GO Guangdong Unseen Rural China Tour in Zhuhai and Jiangmen from November 28 to 30.

The delegation visits a eel processing company.

In this episode, the delegation visited Taishan, Jiangmen, China's largest eel farming and export base. Taishan eels are exported to countries and regions such as Japan, South Korea, and Singapore. The export value of live eels increased from 850 million RMB in 2020 to 1.35 billion RMB in 2024, an increase of 58.8 percent, and its export volume has ranked first in the country for five consecutive years.

Technicians provided detailed explanations of eel ecological farming and intensive processing techniques and answered questions from the delegation. Gonewai highly praised Guangdong's modern aquaculture model, especially commending the intelligent farming equipment, production lines, and the "company + farmer" cooperation model, which effectively enhances product added value and helps local eels expand into international markets.

Josaia Gonewai hopes that China will share its farming techniques and successful experiences to help Fiji utilize its eel resources, creating an ideal model of South-South cooperation. 

Josaia Gonewai (R), and Xu Aining (L), head of the eel farming company

During his visit, he expressed his intention on the spot to cooperate with eel companies in Jiangmen, emphasizing, "We have the University of the South Pacific in Fiji, and we also have the marine studies program based in Fiji. So I requested for further cooperation. The potential of the eel industry is substantial if we can develop it from a local delicacy into an exportable commodity through stable quality and quantity of production."

Reporter: Zhou Hongdou, Yin Juewen, Ding Hefei

Video: Luo Yuan

Photo: Ding Hefei

Proofreader: Chen Xuede