China is the world's largest producer and consumer of fruits, consuming nearly 70% of the world's watermelons, nearly half of the world's apples, and is also the largest consumer market for kiwifruit. Under the globalization strategy of Chinese companies, our dinner table is getting more and more sumptuous when new retail connects the world's delicious flavors.

Among the agricultural products China imported from ASEAN in 2023, mangosteen imports grew significantly and performed eye-catching. Mangosteen, with its juicy, delicate texture and sweet-sour taste, has been grown in Malaysia, the Philippines, mainland Southeast Asia and other regions since ancient times. Nowadays, mangosteen is highly productive in Thailand and Indonesia. At present, Thailand and Indonesia are also the main sources of Chinese mangosteen imports.

Thailand: explore more logistics

It is understood that in 2022, Thailand's mangosteen planting area reached 70,400 hectares, with a total output of more than 250,000 tons, and Thailand's fresh mangosteen is mainly exported to China, Japan and Canada. Data show that in the first nine months of 2023, Thailand's mangosteen exports totaled 240,100 tons, an increase of 17.33% year-on-year, with an export value of 16.53 billion baht, an increase of 22.11% year-on-year. Among the export markets in the first nine months of 2023, China accounted for 93.75%. China contributes to the development of Thai mangosteen industry as the main export market of Thai mangosteen.

Overland transportation is currently the main mode for Thai fruits to enter the Chinese market. Although most of this method uses refrigerated trucks, due to the long transportation time, many fruits need to be picked in advance when they are not yet fully ripe to ensure that they still have a certain shelf sale period after arriving in the country, which prevents the excellent quality of Thai fruits from being fully presented.2023 In April 2023, some of China's supermarket enterprises cooperated with domestic airlines to launch flights chartered for Thai fruits to shorten the time it takes for fruits to reach the dining table from their origin to the table. More ripe and tasty mangosteen landed in the Chinese market.

At present, on the basis of mangosteen, domestic aviation logistics and superstores are still actively exploring and launching more cooperative products, striving to introduce overseas high-quality fruit and vegetable products to China with the best quality, so that Chinese consumers can get imported fresh food with the quality of origin.

Indonesia: Keeping the Deliciousness Going in All Seasons

The peak season for Thai mangosteen is from April to June every year, and it can be sold until September to October, which is just staggered with the large-scale picking season of Indonesian mangosteen. Indonesian mangosteen market peak from late November each year, can continue until March of the following year. That is to say, Indonesian mangosteen can "take over" the Thai mangosteen, on the table of Chinese consumers.

In September 2023, Boxmart introduced about 20,000 tons of Indonesian mangosteen, which entered the Chinese market through Boxmart's global fruit supply chain. By cooperating with many international fruit traders, Boxma reduces the transaction and transportation costs of the entire supply chain of imported fruits, which not only reduces the price of imported fruits, but also guarantees freshness and quality.

Domestic super enterprises shorten the logistics chain through direct sourcing from the place of origin and deepen the supply chain to make the price of imported fruits more affordable. More and more imported fruits have been sold in China throughout the year, and some of them have been lengthened through the deployment of the origin, so that Chinese consumers can taste the global deliciousness in all seasons without leaving home. The efforts of Chinese companies to use new retail to connect "Chinese flavor" and "world taste" have upgraded the overall efficiency of fruit supply, helping to bring more high-quality and delicious imported fruits into the homes of Chinese residents.

In December 2022, the first inbound fruit train on the China-Laos Railway was opened, realizing the fastest transportation of fruits from the fields of the Central and South Peninsula to the Chinese dining table. In order to meet the timeliness of fruit transportation, in April 2023, the "Lancang Express" was adjusted to run daily, providing a strong capacity guarantee for fruit transportation.

With the deepening of China-ASEAN economic and trade cooperation, the fruit trade is growing. More and more special fruits from ASEAN countries have entered the homes of ordinary people in China, and ASEAN fruits have enriched the "fruit basket" of Chinese families by riding on the east wind of trade cooperation. At the same time, Chinese temperate fruits such as jujube and pear are also increasingly favored by ASEAN people. Looking ahead, China's bilateral trade with ASEAN will achieve even greater development, driven by the increasing level of trade and investment liberalization and facilitation between the two sides.