The first harbor for imported fruits in South China's Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region started operation at Fangcheng on June 23, broadening fruit sources to include ASEAN countries, Europe and America.

As the hub connecting Southwest China and Southeast Asia, Fangcheng Port has opened several international container routes to Hong Kong, Haiphong, Singapore, Pusan and Tokyo, and has trade relations with more than 220 ports in some 80 countries and regions.

"Fangcheng Port has great potential for international cold chain logistics," said Xie Yi, deputy general manager of Guangxi Beibu Gulf International Port Group Ltd.

The day before, 86 tons of mangosteen and durian was shipped from Thailand to Fangcheng Port, marking the opening of a fast fruit route.

In recent years, fruits from Southeast Asia have become very popular in China, and over 70 percent of Thailand’s fruits were exported to China. According to official statistics, the trade of fruits between China and ASEAN countries will surpass 5 million tons this year.

During the first quarter, Guangxi imported and exported 359,000 tons of fruits, increasing 8.7 percent from last year, and making the province the largest fruit trader in China.

So far, the port infrastructure and fruit trading market have been built at Fangcheng Port, and the China-ASEAN Agricultural Products Purchasing Center will start construction soon.

Before, fruits from Southeast Asian countries such as Thailand, Myanmar and Vietnam mainly entered China through land ports in Yunnan and Guangxi, and water ports in Guangzhou and Shanghai.