The campaign, entitled Tales of Portugal (“Contos de Portugal”, in Portuguese) will run from November 2021 to April 2022, according to a statement from AICEP.

The program includes the participation of 29 digital influencers in Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou, the three largest cities in China.

The Asian country has been the world's largest online sales market for eight years, according to the Chinese Ministry of Commerce. E-commerce accounts for 24.9% of the Chinese retail sector.

According to official data, in 2020, the total transaction volume of online sales in China reached 9.8 billion yuan (1.3 billion euros), more than half of the world's total Internet sales.

This has given rise to the rise of digital influencers, who are rewriting the rules of advertising and brand management in the country.

The influencers hired by AICEP will promote the “best Portuguese products available in China”, through the social networks Weibo, Wechat, Yizhibo and Xiaohongshu, according to the AICEP note.

The Portuguese agency estimates that the campaign will reach more than 5.5 million consumers and industry professionals over the next six months.

Wine, olive oil, pastries, fruit, canned fish and preserved tomatoes are among the main Portuguese products exported, namely to Spain, France, Brazil, United Kingdom, Netherlands and Italy.

China's imported pork doubled in 2020, also benefiting Portuguese slaughterhouses, as a swine fever outbreak decimated the Asian country's herds.

According to data from the IFAP - Portuguese Agricultural and Fisheries Financing Institute, the Asian country was the second best customer for Portuguese pork, acquiring a total of 56 million euros, a value surpassed only by Spain.

In 2020, pork made up 56% of Portuguese agri-food exports to China.

Between 2010 and 2020, national exports of agri-food and beverages to China increased by 1176%, from 7.7 million euros to 98.3 million, according to the Portuguese National Institute of Statistics.