As fruit becomes the first batch of goods without tariffs in China and ASEAN, the two parties have become each other's largest fruit trading partner. Fruit from ASEAN countries were warmly welcomed at the 16th China-ASEAN Expo (CAEXPO), which was held in Nanning, Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region from Sept 21-24.

In the first half of this year, the General Administration of Customs of the People’s Republic of China updated its list of fresh fruit types and exporting countries that have obtained inspection and quarantine access in China. Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Thailand, and Vietnam have all been included on the list.

Relying on Guangxi's geographical advantages, the new cross-border platform is constantly expanding. At this year's CAEXPO, hundreds of cross-border enterprises established the Chamber of Commerce Cross-border Trade Committee to integrate the upstream and downstream production and marketing resources of China and ASEAN countries, signing a framework agreement for the purchase of ASEAN fruit worth 3 billion yuan ($420.97 million).

In addition, the China-ASEAN Cross-border Logistics Management Platform was also launched at the 2019 CAEXPO to improve the efficiency of fruit clearance, as well as reduce logistics costs and cargo losses through innovative multi-country coordinated cross-border logistics models. Enterprises in Guangxi and Chongqing also explored building a new model for the direct supply of agricultural products to ASEAN through the Land-Sea Trade Corridor.

"With those platforms, we can better grasp industrial needs and trends, promote cooperation between the associations and import and export enterprises of agricultural products, as well as further promote the trade of agricultural products such as fruits," said Li Qinghe, an official of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development of Vietnam.

It is expected that international cooperation in the fruit industry will become an important area for deepening China-ASEAN relations.

Durian ice cream from Malaysia is popular at the 16th China-ASEAN Expo (CAEXPO), which was held in Nanning, Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region from Sept 21-24. [Photo/caexpo.org]