Nanning City, in south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, will launch a campaign to promote fruit sales as part of efforts to further leverage its role as a vital distribution hub for Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) agricultural products—particularly fruits—to enter the Chinese market.
Known as China's "fruit basket", Guangxi, a top fruit-producing region, also serves as the main portal for fruits such as durians and mangosteens from ASEAN and Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) countries to enter the Chinese market.
From January to April 2024, Guangxi's import and export volume with ASEAN reached 139.63 billion yuan (about 19.25 billion U.S. dollars), marking a 16.3 percent year-on-year growth.
In 2024 alone, Guangxi imported nearly 2.5 million metric tons of ASEAN fruits, with a total value of approximately 35 billion yuan, accounting for over one-third of China's total ASEAN fruit imports.
"Riding the momentum of RCEP policies, more fruits from ASEAN countries and high-quality products from RCEP member states are being brought into China's vast market of 1.4 billion people through Guangxi as the first-stop, which formed a supply chain model of 'produced in ASEAN, distributed via Guangxi, and sold across China,' bringing ASEAN fruits to dining tables nationwide. Thai durians and mangosteens, Vietnamese coffee, Indonesian palm oil, and other premium ASEAN and RCEP products are now making their way into the homes of ordinary Chinese families," said Zhu Yanling, deputy director-general of the Department of Commerce of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region.
Building on the establishment of the China-ASEAN (Nanning) Fruit Trading Center, Nanning will accelerate the development of a comprehensive import-export supply chain system for ASEAN fruits.
"Nanning now hosts key platforms such as a land port-type national logistics hub and a major national cold-chain logistics base. A number of high-standard fruit trading markets and cold-chain facilities have already been established. Today, Nanning stands as the largest fruit trading center in Guangxi," said Xu Kefeng, vice mayor of the Nanning Municipal People's Government.
Nanning serves as key hub connecting Chinese market to ASEAN region
Shenzhen in south China's Guangdong Province saw a soaring number of visitors from abroad on Thursday, the first day of 2026 and also the opening day of China's three-day New Year holiday, as festive celebrations unfolded across the city.
Major border checkpoints in the city recorded peak inbound passenger flows, with large numbers of travelers from Hong Kong, Macao and overseas entering the city to experience its vibrant holiday vibes.
"I'm so happy 'cause this is the first day of 2026, and I'm bringing my friends to visit Shenzhen," said a visitor from Hong Kong.
International tourists also shared their excitement.
"It's a very modern city and it's interesting to see such a New Year Eve in such a city," said an overseas visitor.
The inbound passenger flow at Luohu Port peaked from 8:00 to 20:00 on Thursday, said an officer there, adding the average daily passenger flow during the New Year break is expected to reach about 240,000.
At the West Kowloon Station port, eye-catching red decorations themed around the upcoming 2026 Spring Festival which will mark the beginning of the Year of the Horse added to the festive mood.
As a key transportation hub of the Guangzhou-Shenzhen-Hong Kong Express Rail Link, the port also saw heavy two-way passenger traffic. Daily cross-border passenger flow there is expected to average around 100,000 during the holiday.
An Australian tourist said he was looking forward to his trip to south China.
"I am from Melbourne, Australia and I'm coming to Guangzhou and Shenzhen in China. I'm excited to see all the tall buildings, especially all the ones that light up and experience a new culture in China." said a tourist.
Outside the ports, celebrations were in full swing as the city prepared for rising visitor numbers.
A large-scale parade featuring more than 30 themed formations kicked off in the morning along the 1.6-kilometer Festival Avenue in Shenzhen's Futian District.
The event drew huge crowds with inflatable cartoon characters, lively drum performances, and traditional Yingge Dance -- a form of folk dance popular in south China's Guangdong Province that merges opera, dance, and martial arts.
Nearby commercial zones also rolled out special consumption coupons, allowing visitors to enjoy a one-stop experience combining festive celebrations and shopping.
"The atmosphere is really nice. We feel very welcomed here. It's a very, very international vibe", said an international visitor.
China continues to grow in popularity as a destination for overseas travelers. Data from online tourism platforms show that inbound flight bookings to China rose 20 percent year on year on the first day of the holiday, with Shenzhen ranking fifth among the country's most popular inbound travel destinations.
"On the first day of holiday, international flight ticket purchases to Shenzhen has increased by 52.5 percent while the international flight bookings to the city has grown by 33 percent," said Shi Ke, a researcher from big data research institute of Qunar, an online travel service provider.
Shenzhen embraces influx of visitors on first day of 2026
