China upping Malaysian durian imports amid SEA competition

Officials from Malaysia’s Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security met with a Chinese customs delegation recently to sign a six-point statement on plans for durian trade between the two countries, reported South China Morning Post.

"The Chinese side agrees to speed up its risk assessment of Malaysian fresh durian, and both sides will cooperate on promoting quarantine inspection work," the statement read.

Malaysia is known for its premium Musang King durian variety, which is considered one of the world’s best varieties of the fruit.

China imports most of its durian from Thailand, but in recent years there has been growing competition from the Philippines, Vietnam and Malaysia, all of which want a larger piece of the Chinese market’s $4-billion durian pie.

Vietnam is set to export up to $1.5 billion worth of durian this year, 3.5 times more than it did in 2022. Most of it will be sent to China, according to officials.

Thailand opened a new railway this year connecting it with Laos and China in order to facilitate more durian exports.