Better relations with ASEAN lift farm product sales

China and member countries of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations are deepening their trade ties to make the most of rising demand for regional farm products like durian, a fruit whose popularity in China is soaring.

Signs of such demand were in evidence at the four-day China-ASEAN Expo or CAEXPO that concluded in Nanning, capital of the Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region, on Tuesday.

Standing behind a refrigerator at the Malaysian pavilion, David Chen, a Malaysian exhibitor, busily wrapped a bagful of durian-flavored mooncakes for Xu Feng, a Chinese customer. Chen duly informed Xu of the storage method and the best-before date. Before their transaction ended, more visitors thronged the pavilion to buy fresh Musang King durian.