Fresh durian from Vietnam, rambutan from Malaysia, dragon fruit from Indonesia, longan ...... from CambodiaThese imported fruits, which once made Chinese consumers feel "expensive", are now gradually increasing. The freedom of tropical fruits for Chinese consumers is inseparable from the increasingly close cooperation between China and the ASEAN region. At present, more than 20 kinds of fresh fruits have been admitted to ASEAN, and more and more ASEAN fruits are "flying" into the homes of ordinary Chinese people.
With the release of the dividends of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP), the in-depth promotion of the construction of the China-ASEAN Free Trade Area, and the construction of a number of interconnection projects such as the new land-sea corridor in the western region, the scale of China-ASEAN** has been further expanded. In particular, fruits** have become a highlight of China-ASEAN agricultural products in 2023**, and more and more fruits from ASEAN countries have entered the Chinese market. Statistics show that in the first three quarters of 2023, ASEAN's exports of fresh durian, mangosteen, and pineapple to China increased by 14% and 14., respectively4%。
More favorable policies
China is a vast country with abundant produce, but most of its land is located in temperate zones, and the area of land that can be used to grow tropical fruits is small. Tropical fruits, which are difficult to produce in China, need to be imported from abroad. Southeast Asia, the region of high-quality tropical fruits, is the best choice. Since the RCEP came into effect, the newly approved fruit varieties in ASEAN include Cambodian longan, Vietnamese durian, etc., and the varieties of imported ASEAN fruits are still being enriched.
In April 2023, Malaysian fresh jackfruit was allowed to enter the Chinese market. Malaysia became the third country after Thailand and Vietnam to be allowed to export jackfruit to China. In addition, Malaysian durian growers are expected to export fresh durian to China instead of frozen durian in 2024.
In December 2023, the General Administration of Customs of China and the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development of Vietnam signed the Protocol on Phytosanitary Requirements for the Export of Fresh Watermelons from Vietnam to China (hereinafter referred to as the "Protocol"), which is another addition to the Protocols on bananas and fresh durians in Vietnam. It is understood that at present, 179 watermelon planting orchards and more than 1,400 orchard packaging plants in 15 provinces in Vietnam have completed the registration and filing. According to statistics from the General Administration of Customs of Vietnam, in the first 10 months of 2023, Vietnam's fruit and vegetable exports to China reached US$3.2 billion, an increase of 165% over the same period in 2022. The reporter learned that fresh coconut, avocado, custard, lotus mist and other fruits and frozen fruits will become China's next agricultural products to open its market to Vietnam.
Smoother logistics
Tropical fruits such as coconut, banana, mango, durian, mangosteen and rambutan from ASEAN can smoothly reach the fruit basket of Chinese consumers, which is inseparable from the improvement of infrastructure such as ports and railways and the support of relevant logistics policies. Boxes of ASEAN fruits enter the country by trucks, trains, ships or planes, and are transferred to local distribution centers after quick inspection and release by customs, and then sent to major cities in China, or retailed through major fruit wholesale markets and major e-commerce platforms. With multiple benefits such as policies and logistics, the route for fruits produced in ASEAN countries to reach China has become more convenient.
As the only province adjacent to the land and sea of ASEAN countries, Guangxi has become the main channel for ASEAN fruits to enter the Chinese market. Located on the border between China and Vietnam, Pingxiang Friendship Pass Port, China's most mainland fruit import and export port, is full of cross-border vehicles loaded with imported fruits. Every year, ASEAN fruits imported to China through the Pingxiang Friendship Pass in Guangxi account for about half of the country's total fruit imports. It is understood that Guangxi has set up a green channel for the import of agricultural and food products at each port under its jurisdiction, and built an integrated laboratory testing grid system of "large center-workstation-port on-site laboratory" to shorten the stay time of imported fruits and other fresh agricultural and food products at the port. According to the quarantine and inspection personnel of Nanning Customs, the customs inspection and release of imported fruits can be completed on the same day as soon as they arrive at the port, and the customs clearance efficiency is very high. Efficient customs clearance reduces the time cost and escorts the "freshness" of imported fruits.
China's well-developed logistics conditions have also made it easier and easier for ASEAN fruit imports. At present, the rail-sea combined transport, cross-border highways and cross-border railways of the new western land-sea corridor have been operating normally, and the convenient transportation has made the fruit exchanges between China and ASEAN more active. After the opening of the China-Laos Railway, tropical fruits such as longan and durian from Thailand can be transported to China through this land-based artery.
Cold chain logistics provides important technical support for imported fruits to enter China. For example, Guangxi has formed a cross-border agricultural product cold chain logistics network for ASEAN with wholesale markets, logistics centers, warehousing bases, ports, etc. as the main logistics nodes. Starting from December 2022, Sichuan and Chongqing will import fruits through the China-Laos Railway cold chain special train. The fruit cold chain special train adopts its own backpack-type diesel generator refrigerator, which can be refueled along the way to ensure temperature control, which well guarantees the quality of imported fruits.
Behind the realization of "fruit freedom" is a more open market for Chinese agricultural products. The expansion of fruit exports to China by ASEAN countries will not only help improve the production and social welfare level of exporting countries, but also enrich the fruit basket of Chinese households.
Reporter Liu Xu.