Fruit of better relations is higher, quicker imports

Banana importer Xue Xin is expecting a huge boost to his business in the wake of thawing of relations between China and the Philippines.

"Last year, we imported 4,000 FEUs (forty-foot equivalent units) of bananas, mostly from Ecuador. Thanks to the improving relationship between the two countries, we're buying more bananas from the Philippines now," said Xue, president of Dalian Ruihua Everfresh Trade Co Ltd. "The total import volume might increase by 30 percent."

Trade between the two countries has seen remarkable growth over the past several months, since Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte's visit to Beijing last October.

The visit helped brighten bilateral ties, promising to redefine the regional situation.

Xue said his company had imported bananas mainly from the Latin American country during the past four years.

"Obviously, the Philippine bananas are more competitive (in terms of price and time taken to reach the consumer). The Ecuadorian bananas arrive in Dalian in Northeast China's Liaoning province after a 30-day journey across the Pacific. But it takes only seven to 10 days for the Philippine bananas to reach Dalian," said Xue.

"Besides, the Philippine bananas are among the list of duty-free goods of the China-ASEAN Free Trade Area."

Li Huiru, a resident of Shijiazhuang in North China's Hebei province, said she noticed the price of bananas sold in local supermarkets has dropped a bit of late.

"It is about 6 yuan ($0.87) per kilogram. Compared with other imported fruits, it is quite affordable for ordinary people. The peoples of both countries can benefit from the improving relationship," Li said.

Vice-Premier Wang Yang said as much in his keynote address to the China-Philippine Economic and Trade Cooperation Forum on March 18.

Thanks to the improvement in the bilateral relationship, exports of the Philippines' main agricultural products to China have surged since last October, he said.

The export volume of papaya, pineapple, banana and mango had increased by 200, 100, 50 and 30 percent respectively.

According to Wu Yigang, deputy general manager of Dalian Port Yidu Cold Chain Co Ltd, Dalian Port accounted for 46.1 percent of the total bananas imported into China in January, ranking first among the domestic ports.

Last year, 326,000 tons of bananas, or about 140,000 FEUs, nearly 37 percent of total imports, were routed through Dalian Port.

Fruit dealers attribute the surge in imported fruits like bananas to the growing wealth of Chinese people.

"They are paying more attention to the quality rather than price," said Zhou Zhiyang, general manager of the Dalian branch of Hangzhou-based Yeshi Brother Fruit Supermarket Co Ltd.

Yeshi Brother owns more than 200 fruit shops around the country, 21 of which are in Dalian, each offering more than 30 types of fruits throughout the year, according to Zhou.

"Some 95 percent are imported fruits like blueberry, cherry and pineapple. But banana is among the most popular ones. Each shop sells about 140 kilograms of bananas per day," he said.

Contact the writer at zhangxiaomin@chinadaily.com.cn