Speaking of durian, it can be described as a "hot commodity" in the Chinese market, and the price has remained high for many years, and there have been signs of price "diving" recently.
All content in this article is based on official and reliable sources, and the specific information is detailed in the article.
For a long time, Thai durian has occupied the "lion's share" of the mainland durian market, about 90% or more.
Although the proportion of Vietnamese durian is small, it has always been famous for its good quality, and the famous "Golden Pillow Durian" is a specialty of Vietnam.
The huge consumption power of the Chinese people is the envy of other durian-producing countries, especially the Philippines.
Not long ago, Philippine durian entered first-tier cities such as Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou by air, but was unexpectedly complained by everyone.
As we all know, there have been many frictions between China and the Philippines in recent times, is this related?
At this moment, why would the mainland allow durian to enter the mainland market?
The new official took office and visited China to seek cooperation
Before 2023, the only two supplier countries for mainland durian imports are Vietnam and Thailand, so when will the Philippine Green Union also be allowed to import?
This has to mention Marcos's visit to China at the beginning of 2023.
In fact, this is not his first time in China, in 1974, he accompanied the then first lady Imelda to China.
The original article was published on CCTV on January 11, 2023 on the report on "The Philippine President's Visit to China, the New Year 'Good Start' of the Relations between the Two Countries".
In the following ten years, he visited China as a youth representative, provincial governor, and senator, and saw China's development in general.
Marcos' visit to China in early January 2023 was special, as it was Marcos' first visit to China since he became president.
At that time, he also stated in his visit video that it was a responsibility and an honor for him to develop relations between the two countries.
At that time, Marcos's attitude can be said to be very sincere, and we have reached a number of cooperation with the Philippine side.
According to the news of the Central Broadcasting Network, it was during this visit that the two countries signed more than 10 cooperation treaties, involving all aspects.
One of them is to allow the export of durian from the Philippines to China, which is the third durian importer approved by mainland customs.
Agriculture has always been a major economic industry in the Philippines, with nearly a quarter of the population involved in agricultural production, and durian is one of their important cash crops.
From 2014 to 2021, the total export volume of durian from other countries has repeatedly occupied the top 10 positions in the world, which is still the number before entering the Chinese market.
For something like fruit, transportation is quite costly, and it can't be delayed for too long, and transportation requires the entire cold chain.
If Philippine durians can be exported to China, it will be cheaper than selling them in the North American market, and China has a larger consumer population.
After reaching this cooperation, the Philippine delegation returned to China non-stop and held a press conference to announce the good news.
All of a sudden, the new president's approval rating "exploded"!
After all, ordinary people are most concerned about their own lives, and they are happy that Marcos's trip to China has opened up sales channels and even greatly increased farmers' incomes.
But what I didn't expect was that before I could fully taste the "sweetness" of the Chinese market, I was screwed up by Marcos's "change of face".
A year's hopes came to naught
Not long after the agreement was signed, it was the ripening season of durian, and the fruit farmers who had already planted durian made a lot of money.
This article was originally published on CCTV Finance on June 2, 2023 on "Tastes like cream!" The Philippine "Puya" durian is coming! ".
CCTV financial reporters once went to the Philippines to interview local farmers.
Benjamin, a grower named Benjamin, said his income tripled because he was qualified to export to China, which changed his life.
Officials from the local durian association also said bluntly that the completion of this business can bring real changes to the lives of local fruit farmers.
Many farmers who had not planted durian before also started planting durian after seeing the direction of the wind, hoping to catch up with this trend in the next harvest season.
But alas, it was all ruined by their government!
Since the end of last year, representatives of the United States and the Philippines have been in frequent contact, and they do not know what the United States has promised Marcos, which has led to a complete reversal of his policy.
Even in March this year, the mainland frequently made provocative moves in the South China Sea, and it has been intensifying until now.
On the one hand, there is "saber rattling" in the South China Sea, and on the other hand, it quietly gropes to the first-tier cities on the mainland to continue to airlift durians, and also wants to make Chinese money.
This "both want and want" face directly amused people, and many netizens directly "mocked" after knowing about it.
However, some people have also suggested that the Philippines is like this, why don't we just ban the import of their durians?
In fact, this is a clever dividing strategy!
Friends who know a little bit about Philippine politics should know that, like the United States, the two factions in the Philippine political arena are now fighting "you live and die".
On the one hand, there is the "pro-American" faction led by Marcos, and on the other hand, it hopes to continue to follow the policy of former President Rodrigo Duterte, balance countries, and allow the Philippines to develop independently.
And among the people, these two factions were also formed.
Originally, a considerable number of Filipino people did not care about the affairs in the South China Sea, and only cared about whether their lives could get better.
The original article was published in the Global Times on April 16, 2024 on "stirring up trouble in the South China Sea, many Filipino people do not pay".
The Philippine government's failure to participate in the Belt and Road Initiative has led to the loss of development opportunities, which has already caused them to complain at home.
At present, if the durian business that happened to be affected again, the pressure on Marcos and others is not small, not to mention the covert operation of political enemies.
Some people may say, shouldn't this be more important to ban the import of Philippine durian?
If the official ban on the import of durian is equivalent to completely blocking the road, it is likely to cause the originally neutral part of the Filipinos to completely fall into Marcos's camp.
But if we just boycott Philippine durian out of national sentiment, causing their sales to be affected, then the result will be different.
The Philippines' vast agricultural population is bound to put pressure on the government.
At that time, Marcos and others will not only have to endure the threat of force from the outside, but also the attacks from internal political opponents and the dissatisfaction of the people.
epilogue
For these Southeast Asian countries, whose economy is based on crop exports, China is a market that cannot be ignored.
This is especially true for fruits like durian, which are expensive and have high requirements for insurance technology.
Thailand, by contrast, is much smarter.
Although this is also a "pro-American" country, it will not be like Philippine politicians who disregard the livelihood of the people at home and "harden" with us.
China has always been a peace-loving country, and even more so with its "neighbors", but this does not mean that we are watching our territory being violated.
China has become rich and powerful, and it is no longer the target of bullying more than 100 years ago, and any act that undermines the sovereignty of the mainland will pay the price it deserves.