(Yicai Global) Sept. 21 -- The first ever batch of durians imported from Vietnam has reached China, after the two countries reached a market access deal earlier this year.

Weighing in at 18.24 tons, the fruit arrived in Youyi Guan, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, and cleared customs two days ago. Valued at CNY512,400 (USD72,755), they were the first fruits shipped to China from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations since the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership came into force.

The RCEP is a free trade agreement between 15 Asia-Pacific nations that created the world’s largest trading bloc.

China’s General Administration of Customs and Vietnam’s Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development penned an agreement in July to bring fresh durians to China from Vietnam. Previously, Vietnamese durians could only enter China via border trade or carrying a Thai label.

According to Xinhua News Agency, Chinese Premier Li Keqiang told his Vietnamese counterpart on Sept. 19 that China is willing to work with Vietnam to draw on each other’s strengths, expand trade cooperation, ensure smooth customs clearance at border ports, and import more high-quality agricultural produce from Vietnam.

Durian is now the 11th fruit from Vietnam that has been allowed to enter China. Vietnam exported vegetables and fruits worth USD2.2 billion in the first eight months of this year, of which USD1 billion went to China.

Trade Pick-Up

China requires that agricultural products imported from Vietnam must be of high quality and liked by Chinese people, according to Zhou Shixin, an associate researcher at the Center for Asia-Pacific Studies of Shanghai Institutes for International Studies.

Speaking to Yicai Global, Zhou said that as the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic wanes, China-Vietnam trade is gradually recovering and showing rapid growth momentum.

“It takes only two hours to transport durians from Vietnam to Youyi Guan, so the taste and freshness of the fruit can be preserved and it will be liked by more Chinese consumers,” said Qin Jun, vice president of Shenzhen-based YH Global Supply Chain.

China has been the largest importer of Vietnamese durians, and it imports around 70 percent of Vietnam’s output. China stepped up inspection of border trade fruits in 2019, and exports of Vietnamese durians were blocked because the fruit did not get any official market access permit and thus could not enter China through formal trade channels.

Vietnam’s agriculture ministry started negotiations with China on exporting durians in 2018, and the two countries finally reached an agreement this year. Vietnam has become the second fresh durian exporter permitted by China after Thailand.

China imported about 820,000 tons of fresh durian worth USD4.21 billion last year, an 82 percent jump from 2020, per customs statistics.

Editor: Peter Thomas