Increasing amounts of Vietnamese fruit are expected to land on the dining tables of Chinese consumers, with durian leading the way.
Since China approved the import of fresh Vietnamese durian in August 2022, the fruits have flowed into the Chinese market, and Hekou Port on the China-Vietnam border in Hekou County, southwest China's Yunnan Province has become a major distribution channel.
Official data show that in 2023, Vietnam exported more than 490,000 tons of durian to China, a staggering 1,100-percent increase from the previous year, valued at about 2.1 billion U.S. dollars.
The business continues to thrive. In the first half of this year, Vietnam's durian exports to China increased by 46 percent from the same period last year, reaching a value of more than 1.2 billion U.S. dollars.
Han Tao launched a fruit import business in Hekou County in 2018. Now he focuses on providing cold-chain transportation services to Chinese importers.
"Now we have about 50 containers in operation, and we plan to deploy a total of 300 containers. Currently the 50 containers are running at full capacity. None are idle," said Han.
The fruit trader also sees great potential in other agricultural products.
"Many businessmen have made an inspection tour in Vietnam, checking on fruits such as dragonfruits, rambutans, lychees and watermelons," said Han.
From January to July, Hekou Customs facilitated the release of over one million tons of imported goods, marking a year-on-year increase of about 52 percent.
To ensure the freshness of perishable goods like fruits, the customs authority has been actively enhancing clearance efficiency, going so far as to implement cutting-edge technologies.
"We've been trying to integrate new technologies with customs operations, using intelligent inspection equipment such as 5G-powered gadgets and AR glasses to assist enforcement in cargo label recognition, trademark identification, certificate verification, invasive species identification and other areas," said Hu Mei, an administrative enforcement officer of Hekou Customs.
More Vietnamese fruits to hit Chinese market
It will be a must-do for Chinese automakers to operate on an international scale as the country's globally leading production capacity continues to grow, said exhibitors at the ongoing 22nd Guangzhou International Automobile Exhibition that runs from November 15 to 24 in Guangzhou City, south China's Guangdong Province.
With a month and a half left in the year, China's annual output of new-energy vehicles has already surpassed the 10-million mark as of Thursday, making it the first country to achieve this milestone, according to data from industry group China Association of Automobile Manufacturers (CAAM).
China became the world's largest auto exporter in 2023 and is expected to secure the position this year. In the first 10 months of the year, the country exported 4.855 million cars, up 23.8 year on year.
However, many exhibitors at the auto show have noted that it's not sustainable for Chinese automakers to rely solely on exports. They are now also investing and building factories overseas, while developing logistics, finance and after-sales services businesses and building supply chains in some countries.
"Our plant in Thailand has begun operation. The plants in Indonesia and Malaysia will start operation next year. In the meantime, we are also making arrangements in Europe and North America," said Gu Huinan, general manager of GAC Aion New Energy Automobile Company.
While continuing to deepen their overseas strategies, Chinese automakers have also attached importance to the protection of intellectual property.
"BYD has always attached great importance to technological innovation and intellectual property protection. To date, we have applied for more than 57,000 patents in China and more than 12,000 patents overseas," said Zhao Jie, senior manager of Intellectual Property Department of BYD.
Earlier this month, the State Administration for Market Regulation, China's top market regulator, issued guidelines for strengthening regulations on antitrust behaviors pertaining to standard essential patents.
With rules clearly laid out, the guidelines will help promote fair market competition and protect the driving forces of industrial innovation and development, according to the administration.
"The guidelines have filled the institutional gap in China's supervision of standard essential patents and provided a clear legal basis. In the future, automakers should actively strengthen international intellectual property cooperation and demonstrate the technological innovation capabilities of China's automobile industry in global competition," said Wang Junlei, chief expert of the China Automotive Technology and Research Center.
Going global a must-do for Chinese automakers amid growing production capacity
