TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Tainan Mayor Huang Wei-che (黃偉哲) traveled to Malaysia to meet Taiwanese business leaders and diplomats in a bid to roll out Tainan fruit through existing local sales channels.

The Tainan City Government said Sunday that Huang brought boxes of Tainan jujubes to gatherings of Taiwanese businesspeople ahead of the Lunar New Year buying season. He said tapping into established distribution networks could help the fruit connect with more consumers.

During the trip, Huang also met Vivian Lien (連玉蘋), Taiwan’s representative to Malaysia, to line up institutional support and leverage diplomatic ties on the ground, according to UDN. City officials said the aim is to boost the visibility of Tainan produce.

Huang said earlier cooperation with major Malaysian supermarket chains helped Tainan mango sales take off and built consumer trust, per Economic Daily News. He said the city now hopes to build on that momentum by promoting jujubes as the next flagship product.

CTS reported that the jujubes were selected for their sweetness and crisp texture, which city officials believe suit local tastes. Officials added that the campaign targets not only Malaysia but also the broader Singapore–Malaysia market.

While in Malaysia, Huang and his delegation also met with business associations to better understand consumer trends and logistics needs. The city said it will continue working with overseas Taiwanese firms to scale up exports and help local farmers enter new markets.