(CIIE) Economic Watch: ASEAN's fresh picks shine at CIIE

SHANGHAI, Nov. 8 (Xinhua) -- At the bustling halls of the China International Import Expo (CIIE) in east China's Shanghai, trade visitor Li Jing pauses in front of a booth of fresh Musang King durians from Malaysia, prized for their distinct bittersweet taste.

As an avid durian enthusiast, Li cannot hide her delight. "It's incredibly creamy and rich." Around her, curious visitors queue up to try the famed fruit and many other tropical specialities, such as Thai jasmine rice, freeze-dried mangosteen and coconut water, while the alluring scents and lively rhythms of Southeast Asia fill the air.

The buzz around tropical delicacies at the CIIE, which runs from Nov. 5 to 10 this year in Shanghai, mirrors China's expanding appetite for high-quality imports and deepening trade ties with ASEAN, its largest trading partner for 16 consecutive years.

Exhibitors from ASEAN have expanded their presence significantly this year, with exhibition space and the number of participating companies rising by 40 percent and 50 percent, respectively, from a year earlier.

"CIIE not only helps us showcase our products but also connects us more deeply to China's market and global value chains," Soo Wei Chieh, executive director of Singapore Business Federation's (SBF) International Business Division, told Xinhua in an interview.

Led by the SBF, an expanding delegation of 57 Singaporean businesses is attending the event, marking the eighth year the SBF's delegation has participated in the world's first national-level import expo.

Meanwhile, the Malaysia External Trade Development Corporation has organized the country's largest-ever pavilion this year, making it the biggest national delegation at the expo, with around 800 representatives from more than 250 companies showcasing food and beverages, agricultural products, fast-moving consumer goods, and medical and healthcare products.

"Platforms such as the CIIE are strategic bridges for long-term economic collaborations, not just between Malaysia and China, but also the wider ASEAN and East Asia regions," Malaysia's Deputy Prime Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said at the opening of Malaysia's pavilion.

Through participation in the CIIE, the gateway to the world's second-largest consumer market, Malaysian businesses, especially small and medium-sized enterprises, have a golden opportunity to tap into China's dynamic sectors, he said.

The strong presence of businesses from ASEAN reflects the deepening trade ties between China and the bloc, with bilateral trade climbing 9.7 percent year on year in the first eight months of this year.

Blessed with favorable geography, ASEAN countries are known for their abundance of tropical agricultural products, which are gaining increasing popularity among Chinese consumers.

At last year's CIIE, Joy Wing Mau unveiled the first batch of fresh Musang King durians following China's approval of Malaysian durian imports, and they quickly became one of the expo's star attractions. Riding the momentum from the CIIE, the company's market share for Malaysian durians in China grew tenfold within just six months.

For years, transporting tropical fruits and fresh coconuts from Southeast Asia to China -- across distances of 2,000 to 3,000 kilometers -- was a relentless race against time.

Today, improved cold-chain logistics and faster cross-border customs clearance have transformed that journey. Freshly picked Musang King durians from Malaysia can now reach Chinese consumers within just 36 hours.

"Chinese consumers are increasingly fond of high-quality goods," said Zheng Herei, general manager of Best Penang Durian, a Malaysian durian exhibitor. The company brought 80 kilograms of fresh Musang King durians to the expo, which sold out in just one day, Zheng added.

Boosting business optimism, the China-ASEAN FTA 3.0 Upgrade Protocol was signed last month, broadening cooperation in areas such as the digital economy, green transition and supply-chain resilience. "These are all key drivers of the next phase of regional growth," Hamidi said.

"This 3.0 upgrade is an institutional response to deepen regional economic integration and represents a new model for regional cooperation," said He Min, associate professor at the China Foreign Affairs University.

He described the upgrade as a shift toward "institutional opening," achieved through the further removal of barriers and the alignment of rules and standards. "It is a necessity for building a more resilient and inclusive regional economic community."

Soo expressed confidence in China's "strong long-term potential," underpinned by a growing middle class. He noted that government policy support and platforms such as the CIIE have facilitated market entry and "attracted sustained interest from Singaporean companies."

"There is significant scope for collaboration in technology, particularly the digital economy and green economy," Soo added. ■