SE Asia reaps sweet harvest from open China

Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region leads in two-way fruit trade, thanks to enhanced border infrastructure

Southeast Asian nations have continued to export an increasing volume of tropical fruits to China, fueled by a growing appetite from Chinese consumers and more convenient trade services since China optimized its COVID-19 response measures.

After China restarted quarantine-free international travel in January, demand for imported fruits has been growing steadily, bringing more opportunities to domestic and foreign traders as well as retailers.

The Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region, the only provincial region in China connected by both land and sea to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, boasts unique advantages in developing fruit transport channels between the two markets. Youyi Port in Pingxiang, Guangxi, has been China's largest land crossing with ASEAN.

"Now, the daily traffic volume of vehicles entering and exiting Youyi Port has basically returned to pre-COVID traffic levels," said Nong Weipeng, an official with the management committee of the Pingxiang bonded area of Guangxi.

"Transporting fresh fruits has high requirements for logistics, warehousing and speed of Customs clearance. To guarantee the fruits' freshness, local Customs clearance and border inspection departments have implemented supportive measures to raise efficiency and meet growing demand," Nong said.

In the first four months, 115,200 inbound and outbound trucks passed through Youyi Port, up 158 percent year-on-year. Over the same period, the value of imports and exports passing through Youyi Port hit 128.7 billion yuan ($18 billion), surging 301 percent on a yearly basis, according to the local government.

In June, six new passageways at the port were put into use, bringing the total to 12 — six for inbound trucks and six for outbound. The new passageways have helped raise service capacity by 30 percent, according to the local government.