TAIYUAN, July 6 (Xinhua) -- North China's Shanxi Province will ship its first batch of aged vinegar to Chile on Thursday, the first time the province has exported its local specialty to South America.

The vinegar, worth 12,000 U.S. dollars, has been transported to a port in east China's Fujian Province for shipping, according to the customs of Taiyuan, capital of Shanxi.

The vinegar will arrive in the city of Linares, Chile in about a month and a half, before being sold at supermarkets and department stores, said Xu Junfeng, manager of international trade department of Shanxi Mature Vinegar Group Co., Ltd.

Local residents in Shanxi have been brewing vinegar for more than 3,000 years.

With a unique flavor and excellent quality, Shanxi's aged vinegar has been exported to a dozen of countries, including the United States, Canada, Australia, Japan, the Republic of Korea, Russia, the Netherlands, Israel, Belgium, Germany, Singapore, Malaysia, Mexico and Ethiopia.