Deepening China-ASEAN food trade brings benefits to both sides

Photo shows a busy scene at a China-ASEAN fruit trading center in Pingxiang, Chongzuo, south China's Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region. (Photo/Han Jiajun)

In the early hours of the morning, a shipment of pomelos imported from Thailand arrived at Chongqing Jiangbei International Airport in southwest China's Chongqing municipality.

Through a dedicated "green channel" for fresh produce, airport customs authorities provided 24/7 clearance services, ensuring swift inspection and release. The fruit was delivered to the Shuangfu International Agricultural Product Trade Market in Chongqing for distribution later the same day.

The Shuangfu International Agricultural Product Trade Market, as a key project to enrich non-staple food supply and improve local people's livelihood in Chongqing, has grown into a major regional hub for agricultural product circulation.

Official data show that in the first 10 months of 2025, fruit from ASEAN countries accounted for about 80 percent of the market's total imported fruit volume, with transaction value reaching 2.5 billion yuan ($357.46 million), up more than 25 percent year on year.

Chongqing Shanghao Agricultural Products Co., Ltd., one of the market's leading wholesalers of imported fruit, has established its own processing facilities and supporting logistics operations in Thailand, enabling direct sourcing at origin and standardized processing.

"Durian, mangosteen, young coconuts and other fruit imported from ASEAN countries are very popular in the Chinese market," said Zou Teng, the company's general manager. "Take Thai durian as an example: in the first 10 months of 2025, our processing volume reached 2,000 containers, a year-on-year increase of 20 percent, fully meeting domestic consumer demand."

The accelerated and improved access of high-quality ASEAN agricultural and food products to Chinese households owes much to the institutional safeguards provided by the China-ASEAN cooperation mechanism on Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures (SPS).

By advancing coordinated efforts in food safety, animal and plant quarantine, and capacity building, the mechanism has fostered a more convenient and secure trade environment, facilitating increased imports of ASEAN agricultural and food products.

As ASEAN flavors make their way into China, "Chinese taste" is also reaching overseas markets. At the production facility of Chongqing Dejia Meat Technology Development Co., Ltd. (Dejia), boxes of canned pork move steadily along conveyor belts. After passing X-ray inspection, they are automatically packaged and stored, ready for export to Singapore.

Photo taken on Nov. 14 shows the 2025 ASEAN Coffee Expo in Nanning, south China's Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region. (Photo/Fang Yongtao)

To support enterprises in opening up new markets, Chongqing customs has held multiple rounds of consultations with its Singaporean counterpart. In March 2025, Chongqing's regulatory system for animal-derived products passed Singapore's regional market access certification for the first time. Dejia was subsequently approved to export five categories of canned animal products to Singapore, including pork, poultry, beef, mutton and eggs.

"ASEAN has always been one of our key target markets," said Wang Danyu, general manager of Dejia. "Next, we plan to participate in food exhibitions across ASEAN countries to secure more international orders."

"The China-ASEAN SPS cooperation mechanism is not only a vital platform for promoting trade in agricultural and food products, but also an important bridge linking markets and improving people's livelihoods," said an official with China's General Administration of Customs at the recent 9th China-ASEAN Ministerial Meeting on SPS Cooperation.

ASEAN has remained China's largest trading partner in agricultural and food products for eight consecutive years. In the first 10 months of 2025, trade in agricultural and food products between China and ASEAN reached $51.3 billion, up 8.9 percent year on year.

An Indonesian exhibitor sells edible bird's nest at the 22nd China-ASEAN Expo, Sept. 18, 2025. (Photo/Zhu Xiaoming)