China, the world’s largest durian importer, is engaging in durian diplomacy with Southeast Asian countries. By increasing or decreasing durian imports, China is adjusting its relationships with these countries.
According to the South China Morning Post (SCMP) on July 3, China recently informed Vietnamese authorities that it would cease imports from 33 Vietnamese durian suppliers. The decision was made because excessive amounts of heavy metals were detected in 18 durian farms and 15 distribution companies.
Vietnamese durians were granted export permission to China in 2021. While Thai durians previously held nearly 100% of the market share, Vietnam has aggressively expanded its durian cultivation, reducing Thailand’s share to 68% last year. The amount of durian imported by China last year reached 1.4 million metric tons. As durian is considered a symbol of wealth in China, demand is increasing every year. According to Chinese customs data, from January to May 2024, Thailand exported durians worth $2.2 billion to China which is a decrease of 2.5% compared to 2023. On the other hand, Vietnam’s exports increased by 61% to $661.48 million.
China is using durian diplomacy to strengthen economic ties with Southeast Asia. The increase in durian imports within China is also seen as a means to enhance relationships with Southeast Asian countries and expand influence in the region.
Malaysia has been growing increasingly close to China recently. On June 19, Chinese Premier Li Qiang held a meeting with Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim in Malaysia and renewed an economic cooperation agreement. The agreement includes a clause about China importing Malaysian durians. In response, Malaysia’s state-run Bernama News Agency stated, “The agreement with China will benefit 63,000 durian farms in Malaysia.”
The Chinese government plans to fill the gap in durian imports from Vietnam with Malaysian durians. However, China clarified that it would not completely stop importing Vietnamese durians and would continue to import them in the future.
The sudden import restriction by China has confused Vietnamese durian farmers and industry stakeholders. Some are voicing suspicions of political motives, given China’s recent strengthening of comprehensive relations with Malaysia, including economic cooperation.
In its notice, the Chinese government asked the affected companies to identify where the heavy metal problem originated and prepare measures to prevent similar situations from happening again. It established the premise that the problem originated from the Vietnamese side.
