China's temporary suspension of Vietnamese durian imports is fake news

"I would like to confirm that as of today, there has been no announcement regarding China's suspension of the import of Vietnamese durians. An average of one hundred durian containers are shipped through Lang Son province to China every day", said Mr. Hoang Khanh Duy, Deputy Head of the Management Board of Dong Dang - Lang Son Economic Border Zone, on September 11.

According to Mr. Duy, China has provided a warning requesting strict compliance with regulations for certain production unit codes in Vietnam. In response to the warning, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development has issued multiple warnings, and Lang Son province has made several recommendations to the local government.

"No recent durian shipments from Vietnam have been returned or banned by China. The quantity of durian shipments, in particular, has been gradually increasing, and there are reports indicating that durian prices have risen", Mr. Duy stated.

Vietnamese agricultural products, including durians, have not yet been subjected to a protocol agreement on inspection in China. As a result, China conducts inspections on all shipments of Vietnamese durians and agricultural products, whereas other countries such as Thailand are only subject to a maximum of 30% inspection.

The 100% inspection of Vietnamese agricultural products is the primary reason for the lower customs clearance efficiency at the border checkpoints in both countries.

Durians, dragon fruits, and bananas are all permitted for official exports to China, and no official notifications have been made regarding the suspension of these exports.

Vietnam has exported approximately 235,000 tons of durians to China since the beginning of the year. On average, between 120 and 135 durian containers successfully clear customs each day and are delivered to China.

General Situation at Border Checkpoints in Lang Son:

- The total number of cargo transport vehicles for import and export clearance on September 10, 2023, was 1,258 vehicles, including:

+ Vehicles carrying export cargo: 376 vehicles (including 276 fruit trucks and 100 other cargo trucks).

+ Vehicles carrying import cargo: 882 vehicles.

- The number of vehicles transporting export cargo stored until 8:00 PM on September 10, 2023, was 580 vehicles, including 342 fruit trucks, 118 other cargo trucks, and 120 vehicles outside the customs area with unidentified cargoes. This represents an increase of 209 vehicles compared to the evening of September 9, 2023.

Detailed Situation at Border Checkpoints:

Huu Nghi International Border Gate:

- The total number of cargo transport vehicles for import and export clearance was 735 vehicles, including:

+ Vehicles carrying export cargo: 176 vehicles (including 123 fruit trucks and 53 other cargo trucks).

+ Vehicles carrying import cargo: 559 vehicles.

- The number of vehicles that were transferred to other border gates: 0 vehicles.

- The number of newly arrived vehicles transporting cargo from the domestic area from 8:00 PM on September 9, 2023, to 8:00 PM on September 10, 2023, was 261 vehicles (including fruit and other cargo).

- The number of vehicles stored until 8:00 PM on September 10, 2023, was 332 vehicles, including 212 vehicles at Hữu Nghị International Border Gate (including 148 fruit trucks and 64 other cargo trucks) and 120 vehicles at the Customs Tax Zone.

Tan Thanh Secondary Border Gate:

- The total number of cargo transport vehicles for import and export clearance was 431 vehicles, including:

+ Vehicles carrying export cargo: 193 vehicles (including 153 fruit trucks and 40 other cargo trucks).

+ Vehicles carrying import cargo: 238 vehicles.

- The number of vehicles that were transferred to other border gates: 0 vehicles.

- The number of newly arrived vehicles transporting cargo from the domestic area, from 8:00 PM on September 9, 2023, to 8:00 PM on September 10, 2023, was 310 vehicles (including fruit and other cargo).

- The number of vehicles stored until 8:00 PM on September 10, 2023, was 235 vehicles, including 194 fruit trucks (with 193 refrigerated containers and 1 hot container) and 41 other cargo trucks.

Chi Ma Main Border Gate:

- The total number of cargo transport vehicles for import and export clearance was 92 vehicles, including:

+ Vehicles carrying export cargo: 7 vehicles.

+ Vehicles carrying import cargo: 85 vehicles.

- The number of vehicles that were transferred to other border gates: 0 vehicles.

- The number of newly arrived vehicles transporting cargo from the domestic area, from 8:00 PM on September 9, 2023, to 8:00 PM on September 10, 2023, was 14 vehicles.

- The number of vehicles stored until 8:00 PM on September 10, 2023, was 13 vehicles.