“Sweet” China Opportunities, Xinhua International “Screen” Theory | “Durian Freedom”

Beijing, June 6 (Xinhua) The topic about durian has been a bit "hot" recently, with topics such as "durian blind box", "durian freedom" and "durian price reduction" frequently on the hot search list. Like durians from Southeast Asia, Chilean cherries, New Zealand kiwis, Kenyan avocados... fresh seasonal "foreign" fruits from all over the world, spanning thousands of rivers and mountains, continue to enrich the "fruit basket" of ordinary Chinese consumers. Fruit tastes sweet, and so do the fruit farmers and merchants from various countries who share China's opportunities.

China is a major fruit producer and consumer. China mainly produces apples, citrus, pears and other temperate fruits. In order to meet the increasingly diverse needs of consumers, more high-quality and distinctive fruits have entered China. In 2023, China's fruit import value was US$16.85 billion, a year-on-year increase of 15%, and the import volume was 7.524 million tons, a year-on-year increase of 3%. Among them, fresh durian imports were US$6.72 billion, a year-on-year increase of 66%. Durian is China's largest imported fruit category. Entering this year's "durian season", the price decline has made many consumers lament the realization of "durian freedom". This is a result of the liberalization of access conditions, the improvement of customs clearance facilitation, and the competition among Southeast Asian countries to compete for China. The result of the combined effects of the market and others.

China's fresh durians are mainly imported from Thailand. Since 2022, Vietnam and other ASEAN countries have also begun to export fresh durians to China. Durians from different production areas meet China's market demand in different seasons. Data from the General Administration of Customs of China show that China will import 825,000 tons of fresh durian in 2022, of which nearly 95% will come from Thailand. In 2023, China imported 1.426 million tons of fresh durian, of which 929,000 tons came from Thailand and 493,000 tons came from Vietnam. This "race for the market" has attracted the attention of Thai Prime Minister Saitha. When answering questions from the media, he said that in the Chinese market, the pressure caused by Vietnamese durians on Thai durians is the result of market competition. "We should be committed to durian varieties and quality testing. and monitoring, logistics and transportation efficiency are constantly optimized and improved."

The result of the "market competition" is a win-win situation for all parties in healthy competition: Chinese consumers eat more cost-effective durians, Vietnamese durians have opened up the Chinese market, and even Thailand, which is feeling pressure, has also benefited from the further expansion of the Chinese market. Durian exports hit a record high. According to Thai statistics, Thailand exported more than 225,000 tons of fresh durian to China in the first four months of this year, and the export momentum in May was still strong.

China's pace of opening up has never stopped. The number of newly admitted fruit varieties continues to increase, and tax rates are gradually reduced. At the same time, major projects such as the New Western Land-Sea Corridor and the China-Laos Railway continue to advance, and supporting facilities such as cold chains and cold storage in the region continue to improve. Fruit trade between China and ASEAN has become closer. Not only in Southeast Asia, but also in Chile, which is 20,000 kilometers away, local fresh cherries can reach the Chinese market in as little as three days. In January this year, 2,500 tons of cherries arrived at Tianjin Port, and Beijing, Tianjin and Hebei have since opened the first maritime "Cherry Express" directly to South America. Today, more than 90% of Chilean cherries are sold to China. Ivan Marambio, chairman of the Chilean Fruit Exporters Association, said that the huge Chinese market creates opportunities for the Chilean fruit industry chain, and Chilean high-quality agricultural products have enriched the choices of Chinese consumers.

Sharing the "sweetness" is also the African fruit industry. At the first export ceremony of fresh avocados to China held in August 2022, David Osiani, then State Secretary of the Ministry of Industrialization, Trade and Enterprise Development of Kenya, said that exporting fresh avocados to China was a milestone and would increase Kenya’s foreign exchange. income, boosting economic vitality and benefiting relevant industry participants, especially avocado growers. Osiani’s words are becoming a reality, as China’s avocado imports from Kenya showed rapid growth last year. In recent years, China has actively established a "green channel" for African agricultural products to be exported to China, and more and more varieties have been admitted. African fruits such as Egyptian oranges, avocados, and fire ginseng have successively entered the Chinese market. Lauren Johns, a researcher at the South African Institute of International Affairs, believes that China is determined to cultivate new export markets between China and Africa, especially in the agricultural field, because “this may not only help African countries improve their performance as their populations continue to grow. Domestic agricultural productivity for consumption will also help increase rural incomes and correspondingly contribute to poverty reduction.”

“Fruit freedom” is what Chinese consumers yearn for, and it is also a huge opportunity for global fruit producing countries. As China expands its opening up, favorable policies such as low tariffs and rapid inspection and quarantine have been continuously introduced, and trading platforms such as the Canton Fair, China International Import Expo, and Consumer Expo have been continuously established. Specialty and high-quality fruits such as Belgian red cherry pears, Peruvian desert blueberries, and Ecuadorian unicorn fruits have been launched from Farms from all over the world have come to China’s dining table. China’s big market is increasingly being shared by the world, and “sweetness” is a common feeling at both ends of the market. ;