China is Thailand's largest fruit export market. Thailand exports more than 20 varieties to China, among which, durian, mangosteen, and longans have the largest exports. Despite the impact of Covid-19, the country’s fruit exports to China continued to grow substantially in 2020, reaching US$2.9 billion, an increase of 39.43% year-on-year. Durian exports exceeded US$1.5 billion, showing a year-on-year increase of 77.57%.
In order to strengthen export to China, Thailand is actively improving the quality and standards of fruits and the product traceability management system. The two countries have worked together to start a cross-border rail service specialized for fruits. China opened the Guangxi Pingxiang Railway Port, and Dongxing Port as a port of entry for Thai fruits to China through a third country, which opened a new route for the fruit trade between the two countries.
The Ministry of Commerce of Thailand plans to adopt a combination of online and offline approaches this year to hold the second edition of the “Thailand Fruit Golden Month" events in 14 cities in China, including Shanghai, Guangzhou, Wuhan, and Qingdao. The first edition took place in 11 cities in China in 2020.
