China partly suspends dragon fruit imports from Vietnam

The suspension began on Sep. 15 and will automatically be lifted at 11 p.m. Sep. 21 if no new Covid-19 risk is found, according to Vietnam’s Ministry of Industry and Trade.

The Dongxing floating bridge connects the city with Vietnam’s Quang Ninh Province.

China will apply the same one-week suspension on any other produce that carry the virus. A four-week suspension will be imposed if produce is found carrying the virus on three separate occasions.

Vietnam’s trade ministry has ordered businesses to review their harvesting and packaging process to avoid a similar incident.

Dragon fruit exports in other localities like Lang Son and Lao Cai and via shipping are not affected by the suspension. At Tan Thanh International Border Gate in Lang Son, hundreds of container trucks transport dragon fruits to China every day.

China, which is Vietnam’s second largest export market behind the U.S., has been tightening imports of Vietnamese produce in recent months as the country endures its fourth Covid-19 wave.

It temporarily suspended produce imports on several occasions in July and August, greatly affecting Vietnamese exporters.