Southeast Asian diplomats celebrate trade relations at Beijing Durian Festival

AWANI

At the ASEAN-China Centre's durian festival in Beijing, diplomats and traders celebrated the fruit as a symbol of booming trade and regional cooperation between China and Southeast Asia.

Transcript

00:00Love it or hate it, durian is making headlines, not just for its bold flavour,

00:06but as a symbol of booming trade and regional cooperation between China and Southeast Asia.

00:12At the Durian Festival in Beijing, hosted by the ASEAN China Centre over this past weekend,

00:17diplomats and traders are celebrating these growing ties.

00:21Li Choyuan from CGTN shares this report with us.

00:30It's not the devised opinion, but unites economies.

00:33Durian, Southeast Asia's king of fruits, is now a golden ticket in China-ASEAN trade,

00:39with China consuming over 90% of the global supply.

00:44At this Beijing event, countries are showcasing how this spiky delicacy is strengthening ties and transforming livelihoods.

00:51This fresh durian in my hand has just travelled from Southeast Asia to China in less than 24 hours.

00:58It's not only a logistical marvel, but also a testament to deepening regional trade.

01:05And thanks to trade agreements like RCEP, tariffs on these premium exports have been slashed to near zero levels,

01:11while cold chain trains have created a golden fruit corridor.

01:14So every sweet bite, it's a taste of thriving trade.

01:18ASEAN countries are capitalizing on China's durian craze, with imports hitting a record 7 billion U.S. dollars in 2024.

01:29Thailand leads the pack.

01:31We are proud in our products, the quality of durian from Thailand, and we cut at the right time,

01:37transport it, and be at the market in China at the right moment where the durian is the most delicious.

01:43Regional producers are upping their game, streamlining logistics, refining flavors,

01:50and organizing growers to meet China's soaring demand.

01:53Most of our islands are volcanic islands, and the soil, the volcanic ashes, integrated into the soil

01:59to many of the durian trees that gives us a certain flavor, which is not easy to replicate if you don't have the volcanoes.

02:07We're improving logistics, research and development, packaging, and we're organizing our durian growers

02:15so that we can meet the demand, the growing demand of the Chinese market.

02:20We do not have like a, you know, like a many number of durians exported to China as compared to other regional players,

02:28but this is what we want to offer.

02:31It's very premium, and this is the king of all durians.

02:36With the China-Azean free trade area now in its 15th year, trade barriers are fading and partnerships deepening,

02:44from durians to digital economies.

02:47We hope by this kind of cooperation, not only the agriculture can be improved both in China and Azean,

02:56but also the people-to-people connectivity can be strengthened by this kind of cooperation.

03:01What began as a niche import has ripened into a billion-dollar bond.

03:07As durian trade grows, so does the vision of a connected Asia,

03:11where cooperation yields rewards as rich as the fruit itself.

03:15Li Zhou Yuan, CGTN for Awani International, Beijing.

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