fruit trade between china and asean continues to be hot
2024-09-08
한어Русский языкEnglishFrançaisIndonesianSanskrit日本語DeutschPortuguêsΕλληνικάespañolItalianoSuomalainenLatina
global hotspots
original title: fruit trade between china and asean continues to be hot
yan yu, reporter of people's daily overseas edition
in late august, the first batch of fresh malaysian durian entered the chinese market, making malaysia the fourth country after thailand, vietnam and the philippines to be allowed to export fresh durian to china.
in recent years, against the backdrop of increasingly close trade between china and asean, the fruit business between china and asean countries has become increasingly prosperous.
imported products are increasingly diverse
recently, the china-asean (chongzuo) fruit trading center in youyi town, pingxiang city, guangxi zhuang autonomous region, was filled with the fragrance of fruits. trucks loaded with various fruits flowed in an endless stream, and staff unloaded goods in an orderly manner. durian, dragon fruit, jackfruit, mangosteen and other tropical fruits from asean countries entered the chinese market from here, and citrus, oranges, apples, grapes and other fruits produced in china were sold to asean countries from here. data shows that as the largest port city for fruit import and export trade between china and asean, pingxiang city imported and exported 1.6487 million tons of fruit in the first half of this year, an increase of 15.36% year-on-year.
the lively scene in pingxiang is a vivid microcosm of the continued hot fruit trade between china and asean. in recent years, with the continuous holding of the china-asean expo, the full entry into force of the regional comprehensive economic partnership (rcep) for 15 member countries, and the in-depth promotion of the "belt and road" initiative, the trade and cooperation relationship between china and asean countries has been deepening, and fruit trade has become a highlight of the agricultural product trade between china and asean countries.
at present, china is the largest export market for vietnamese agricultural products. vietnamese durian, dragon fruit and other products are very popular among chinese consumers. china's imports of agricultural products from vietnam account for about 1/5 of the total imports of agricultural products from asean. china is also the main export destination for thai fruits. china and thailand have opened 16 land import and export ports for fruits. the latest data from the ministry of commerce of china shows that fresh food e-commerce platforms have established direct fruit and vegetable procurement bases in partner countries such as vietnam and thailand, becoming a new channel for local agricultural products to be exported to china. from january to july this year, sales of thai durian on chinese e-commerce platforms increased by 48.6%.
on august 9, the official website of the general administration of customs of china updated the list of fresh fruit varieties and exporting countries/regions that have obtained china's inspection and quarantine approval, adding 10 fruits from seven countries, including vietnamese coconuts and malaysian durian. as the number of new fruit varieties from asean countries continues to increase, more and more asean fruits are favored by chinese consumers at more favorable prices.
the friendship pass, china's largest land-based fruit import port located on the china-vietnam border, has witnessed the "sweet interaction" between chinese and asean fruits: in 2023, the friendship pass imported a total of rmb 23.92 billion worth of fruit, a year-on-year increase of 262.9%. high-quality asean fruits such as durian, mangosteen, and dragon fruit are "fragrant" across the country through channels such as the friendship pass.
efficient and convenient trade channels
"the booming fruit trade between china and asean countries benefits from many factors: first, with the full implementation of rcep, policy dividends are continuously released, greatly reducing trade costs; second, under the rcep framework, policies such as rapid inspection and quarantine promote the circulation of agricultural products such as fruits; third, china and asean countries continue to strengthen infrastructure connectivity and improve cross-border logistics systems; fourth, consumer demand in the chinese market is becoming increasingly strong, and fruits from asean countries provide chinese consumers with more diverse choices." gao lingyun, a researcher at the institute of world economics and politics of the chinese academy of social sciences, analyzed in an interview with our reporter.
since the rcep came into effect on january 1, 2022, agricultural product trade cooperation among member countries has become closer, and a variety of fruits from asean countries, such as myanmar bananas, cambodian longans, and vietnamese durians, have obtained quarantine access to china. taking durian as an example, data shows that thanks to the customs clearance convenience brought by rcep, in the first 11 months of 2023, china imported a total of 46.61 billion yuan of fresh durian from rcep member countries such as thailand and vietnam, which is 1.7 times that of 2021 before the agreement came into effect.
in addition, in recent years, major projects such as the new western land-sea corridor and the china-laos railway have been accelerated, and supporting infrastructure such as cold chain and cold storage in the region have been continuously improved, providing important technical support for the import of fruits into china, and the channels for fruits from asean countries to enter the chinese market have become smoother and more convenient.
at present, china's qinzhou port has opened express fruit routes to thailand, vietnam and other countries. according to data, in the first half of this year, qinzhou port imported 7,959.7 tons of fruit with a value of 100 million yuan, mainly durian, coconut, longan, mangosteen and so on.
as the "golden channel" for logistics between china and asean countries, the china-laos railway has been playing a more and more important role since its opening. data shows that as of august 22, 2024, the china-laos railway has shipped more than 43 million tons of goods, and the cold chain transportation of thai durian, bananas and other fruits has reached 13,000 tons.
patama, president of the thai mangkhut association, said that thanks to the entry into force of rcep and the accelerated construction of the new western land-sea corridor, cross-border transportation procedures have become simpler, customs clearance efficiency has been greatly improved, saving a lot of time and costs, and helping the fruit trade between asean and china to flourish.
industry insiders pointed out that china and asean countries have shown significant seasonal and category complementarity in fruit production. china is good at producing temperate fruits such as apples and pears, while asean countries grow tropical fruits such as mangoes and durian in tropical climates. the fruit trade between the two sides helps optimize the supply and trade circulation of fruits in the region.
people from both sides share the "sweetness"
the fruit business between china and asean countries is booming, and people from both sides are sharing the "sweetness" - consumers' "fruit plates" are becoming increasingly abundant, and fruit farmers are welcoming more business opportunities.
vietnam's people's daily reported recently that the chinese market has driven a strong export momentum for vietnamese fruits and vegetables. currently, vietnam is the largest supplier of durian and fresh bananas to the chinese market. after china opens market access to frozen durian and fresh coconuts to vietnam, the export situation of vietnamese fruits and vegetables will be more optimistic.
according to most, the governor of chanthaburi province, thailand, the development of the fruit industry has created a large number of employment opportunities. currently, there are tens of thousands of people working in the fruit industry in eastern thailand, and farmers' income has increased. "we look forward to more and closer cooperation with the chinese market!"
wen haohong, president of malaysia raub durian co., ltd., said that the entry of malaysian fresh durian into the chinese market has further expanded the sales channels of malaysian fruit farmers and helped them generate more revenue.
"the fruit trade between china and asean countries is a typical example of win-win cooperation between the two sides. china and asean have strong economic complementarity. the increasingly close cooperation between the two sides will help drive the vigorous development of the fruit industry in asean countries and bring good economic and social benefits to the local area." gao lingyun said.
at present, china continues to relax access conditions, improve the level of customs clearance facilitation, build trading platforms such as the canton fair, the china international import expo, and the china international consumer products expo, and further promote the continued growth of fruit trade with asean.
in late august, at the 2024 china international fruit show held in shanghai, the department of commerce of the guangxi zhuang autonomous region and chongzuo city jointly built a 400-square-meter guangxi-asean famous fruit theme pavilion. more than 20 kinds of guangxi fruits such as longan, mango, pitaya, passion fruit, lemon, grape, and green pomelo, as well as more than 10 kinds of asean fruits such as durian and mangosteen were displayed here, presenting a feast of guangxi and asean fruits to professional buyers and consumers from all over the world, and further promoting the high-quality fruits of guangxi and asean countries to the national and global markets.
gao lingyun said that in the future, under the cooperation framework of rcep and other cooperation frameworks, china and asean countries will further improve and optimize existing cooperation mechanisms and platforms and deepen cooperation, which will bring better development prospects for fruits from asean countries in the chinese market.
source: people's daily overseas edition
