A staff member of the Youyiguan Border Gate Inspection Station guides trucks as they enter the inspection channels. [Photo by Zhang Honglei/China News Service]

Large trucks loaded with 745 metric tons of Vietnamese durians crossed the border via the Puzhai Channel of the Youyiguan Border Gate in Pingxiang, Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region, on May 29, marking the gate's highest daily durian handling volume in 2023.

Vietnamese durians were approved to enter the Chinese market in 2022 and the domestic supply of durians has also been increasing since then. These imported durians will be unloaded at the Pingxiang Logistics Park before being distributed countrywide.

Fresh durians have a short preservation time and require high customs clearance efficiency. A special channel for cross-border fruit and vegetables was opened by the Youyiguan Border Gate to carry out inspections quickly.

"The volume of imported fruit such as durians, lychees, mangoes and jack fruit has been climbing as more such fruit enters the Chinese market," said Wu Yongdong of Youyiguan Border Gate Inspection Station. 

Wu added that 16 trucks carrying a total of 251 tons of Vietnamese durians has already entered the border and will soon reach domestic consumers.

The Puzhai border trade zone in Pingxiang is one of the largest fruit trade markets between China and ASEAN countries. As of May 28, the volume of ASEAN fruits that have been imported via the Puzhai Channel reached 626,100 tons, an increase of 256 percent. These fruits have a collective value of 3.4 billion yuan ($478.6 million), indicating an increase of 415 percent.