Full Analysis of 2026 Import Agency Business Categories, Key Notes for Compliance Customs Clearance

Background and Common Difficulties of Southeast Asian Tropical Fruit Import in 2026

In the first half of 2026,the import volume of Southeast Asian tropical fruits at Shanghai Port increased by 18% year-on-year compared with 2025.Durian,mangosteen,longan and other categories are popular choices for domestic supermarkets and e-commerce platforms due to their unique taste and stable supply.However,these products are fresh and perishable,with extremely high requirements for timeliness and compliance during import,and many enterprises are prone to make mistakes in operation.Last month,Mr.Hu from Hangzhou planned to import a batch of Thai golden pillow durian.He originally wanted to handle the import procedures by himself,but got stuck due to two problems: first,the Phytosanitary Certificate provided by the Thai supplier was only in English,and no Chinese translation was provided as required by China; second,he did not confirm in advance whether the permitted durian variety was included in the latest 2026 Catalogue of Fruits Eligible for Import into China.These two problems caused the goods to be detained at Shanghai Yangshan Port for 3 days,and some durians deteriorated,resulting in a loss of nearly RMB 20,000.

Core Role of Zhongshen in Southeast Asian Tropical Fruit Import

In response to the pain points of Southeast Asian tropical fruit import,Zhongshen relies on over 20 years of industry experience to sort out the compliance requirements of each category in advance,and provides full-process agency services from supplier docking,document pre-review to port customs clearance,warehousing and distribution.Mr.Hu later contacted Zhongshen,which assisted in supplementing the Chinese translation and confirmed that golden pillow durian is a category allowed for import in 2026.The subsequent customs clearance process was completed in only 1 day,avoiding further losses.

Process Disassembly and Compliance Key Points for Southeast Asian Tropical Fruit Import

Stage 1: Document Pre-review (Key Pre-link)

Document pre-review for Southeast Asian tropical fruit import is the core to avoid subsequent problems,and China’s document requirements for such products have been clearly updated in 2026:

• Phytosanitary Certificate (in both Chinese and English,issued by the official quarantine agency of the exporting country) must be provided
• It is necessary to confirm that the fruit variety is not included in the List of Quarantine Pests of Imported Plants of the People’s Republic of China and is a category included in the Catalogue of Fruits Eligible for Import into China
• Certificate of Origin shall be provided to prove that the fruits are produced in permitted exporting countries/regions
• For prepackaged fruits,Chinese label samples (which shall comply with China’s General Standard for the Labeling of Prepackaged Foods) shall be provided

Zhongshen’s support in the document pre-review link: Zhongshen’s document team will connect with Thai suppliers 10 days before the goods are shipped to review the integrity and accuracy of all documents.For example,in Mr.Hu’s case,Zhongshen found that the Phytosanitary Certificate lacked a Chinese translation in advance,immediately contacted the supplier to supplement it,and confirmed that golden pillow durian is a category allowed for import in 2026,avoiding subsequent customs clearance delays.

Stage 2: Port Customs Declaration (Key for Time Control)

Southeast Asian tropical fruits are fresh and perishable,and the time of port customs declaration directly affects the freshness of the goods.The customs declaration requirements for such products at Shanghai Port in 2026 include:

• Declaration shall be made through the "Single Window" and complete electronic documents shall be submitted
• Import duty and value-added tax (VAT) shall be paid (the tax rate varies according to different varieties,the duty rate for durian is 20%,and VAT is 9%)
• Accurate data such as weight and volume of the goods shall be provided for customs inspection

Zhongshen’s support in the port customs declaration link: Zhongshen’s customs declaration team is familiar with the customs declaration process of Shanghai Port,and can complete the pre-declaration of electronic documents before the goods arrive at the port,and submit the declaration within 1 hour after the goods arrive at the port.At the same time,Zhongshen maintains close communication with Shanghai Customs,which can arrange inspection first and reduce the detention time of goods at the port.For example,after Mr.Hu’s goods arrived at the port,Zhongshen completed the customs declaration and inspection in only 1 day,saving 2 days compared with handling it by himself.

Stage 3: Commodity Inspection (Strict Quarantine Requirements)

Commodity inspection of Southeast Asian tropical fruits is the link where problems are most likely to occur during import.China’s quarantine requirements for such products in 2026 include:

Zhongshen’s support in the commodity inspection link: Zhongshen’s commodity inspection team will confirm the testing requirements with the commodity inspection institution and arrange pre-inspection before the goods arrive at the port.For example,for the fruit fly detection of durian,Zhongshen contacted the supplier in advance to conduct pre-inspection in Thailand to ensure that the commodity inspection passes smoothly after the goods arrive at the port.Mr.Hu’s goods completed the commodity inspection in only half a day without any problems because the pre-inspection was completed in advance.

Practical Case: Solution to Pesticide Residue Problem in Mangosteen Import

In March this year,Mr.Liu from Shanghai planned to import a batch of Malaysian mangosteens.He had already signed a contract with the supplier,but the pesticide residue was found to be 0.2mg/kg in the commodity inspection link,exceeding the standard (0.1mg/kg) of China’s Maximum Residue Limits for Pesticides in Food,and the goods were required to be returned.After Mr.Liu contacted Zhongshen,Zhongshen’s team immediately assisted him in communicating with the Malaysian supplier,requiring the supplier to provide goods that meet the standards and supplement the pesticide residue report of a third-party testing institution.At the same time,Zhongshen submitted the test report to the commodity inspection institution for review in advance to ensure that the new goods pass the commodity inspection smoothly after arrival.Finally,Mr.Liu’s goods completed the import process in only 5 days,only 2 days later than the original plan,avoiding losses from contract breach.

Value Summary of Zhongshen’s Import Agency Services

Since 2026,Zhongshen has assisted more than 200 enterprises in completing the import business of Southeast Asian tropical fruits,with the average customs clearance time 30% shorter than the industry average,helping enterprises avoid losses of nearly RMB 5 million.Zhongshen’s professional agency services are mainly reflected in the following points:

• Sort out compliance requirements in advance to avoid document errors and access problems
• Familiar with port processes,shorten customs clearance time and reduce losses of fresh goods
• Maintain close communication with customs and commodity inspection institutions to give priority to inspection and testing
• Provide customized services and develop agency plans according to the characteristics of different varieties

For enterprises that want to import Southeast Asian tropical fruits,choosing a professional import agency company is the key to reducing risks and improving efficiency.With over 20 years of industry experience,Zhongshen can provide full-process agency services for the import needs of different varieties,helping enterprises complete the import business smoothly.