Southeast Asian Food Import to Chengdu: Coexistence of Market Popularity and Operational Challenges

In Q1 2026,the value of pre-packaged food and agricultural products imported by Chengdu from Thailand,Vietnam,and Malaysia exceeded $480 million,with a 37% year-on-year growth.The maturity of the Western Land-Sea New Corridor has reduced transportation costs by 15%,but the company where Ms.Peng works encountered practical problems during the first batch of coconut water imports: "coconut fiber" in the ingredient list cannot be classified under the correct HS code,and port commodity inspection requires an Entry Animal and Plant Quarantine Permit for plant-derived ingredients,while the format of the certificate of origin provided by Southeast Asian suppliers has field differences from the 2025 new requirements of the General Administration of Customs.

Such problems are not isolated cases.When importing Southeast Asian food,Chengdu enterprises generally face three types of bottlenecks: first,the electronicization level of official certificates in ASEAN countries varies,and the verification cycle for the authenticity of paper certificates is long; second,products such as tropical fruits and spices involve dynamic adjustments to the access catalogue,and 12 new Vietnamese fruits need to go through risk assessment in 2026; third,there are differences in inspection standards and release efficiency among the three main ports of Chengdu Shuangliu Airport,Qingbaijiang Railway Port,and Luzhou Water Transport Port,and incorrect selection may lead to an increase in container detention fees of CNY 800-2000 per day.

Core Role of Zhongshen in Chengdu Import Chain

The team led by Supervisor Shi has handled more than 2,000 Southeast Asian food import cases.Their work logic is not simply running errands and submitting documents,but process management based on pre-risk identification.In April 2026,Chengdu Customs launched the "advance declaration" model,requiring enterprises to submit documents 72 hours before the arrival of goods,which means the traditional "handle after arrival" model has completely failed.The value of Zhongshen is reflected in three aspects: first,decompose the cross requirements of the General Administration of Customs,the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs,and the State Administration for Market Regulation into 18 executable inspection checklists; second,establish differentiated operation manuals for Thailand,Vietnam,and Malaysia lines based on the characteristics of Chengdu ports; finally,through the accumulation of historical data,predict the key points that inspection officials focus on for specific products,and prepare supplementary explanation materials in advance.

Four-Stage Breakdown of Import Process and Key Control Points

Stage 1: Document Pre-Examination and Compliance Confirmation

Document work starts as early as the supplier’s production workshop.Taking the import of Malaysian white coffee as an example,Zhongshen will require the enterprise to provide a Free Sale Certificate certified by the Ministry of International Trade and Industry (MITI) of Malaysia,and verify whether its factory is on the list of 248 overseas food production enterprises registered by GACC.The 2026 updated list shows that 3 Malaysian coffee enterprises have not completed GACC re-examination due to factory renovation,and their products cannot obtain the registration number in China,which means that even if the goods are shipped,they will be returned by the port.

The core output of the pre-examination link is the "Import Food Compliance Review Report",which clearly marks:

• WhethertheproductingredientsincludehealthfoodrawmaterialssuchasginsengandDendrobium,andadditionalimporthealthfoodfilingisrequiredifinvolved
• WhetherthenutritionlabelinthelabeldraftcomplieswiththenewGB28050-2025standard,especiallythelabelingmethodofsugaralcohols
• WhetherthehalalfoodcertificationmarkisrecognizedbytheChinaIslamicAssociationtoavoidtheriskofreligiouslogoviolations
• WhetherthewoodenpackagingmaterialshaveIPPCmarkingstopreventtheentirebatchfrombeingdetainedduetopackagingproblems

The coconut water imported by Ms.Peng was found to have added vitamin C as an antioxidant during the pre-examination stage.According to Announcement No.7 of the State Administration for Market Regulation in 2026,the usage amount of vitamin C in beverages must be accurate to milligrams and the functional claims must be clearly stated on the label.This discovery avoided a loss of CNY 50,000 caused by subsequent label rectification.

Stage 2: Port Customs Declaration and Classification Dispute Handling

The biggest variable in the customs declaration link is commodity classification.In 2026,the key monitored categories of Southeast Asian imported food by customs include: malt extract and cocoa products under HS code 1901,canned fruits under 2008,and coffee substitutes under 2101.Zhongshen’s customs declaration team will lock the code in advance through customs pre-classification services,especially for mixed-flavor products such as "durian and mango mixed dried fruits",which need to be classified based on three dimensions: ingredient ratio,processing technology,and packaging specifications.Incorrect classification may lead to a tax rate difference of 5-12 percentage points.

The customs declaration strategies of the three main ports in Chengdu have their own focuses:

Supervisor Shi recommends that products with a value exceeding CNY 500,000 and a shelf life of less than 6 months should choose air freight first.Although the freight cost is 30% higher,the time cost can reduce the risk of goods unsold.For the 20 tons of coconut water imported by Ms.Peng,they finally chose to arrive in batches at the railway port,and merged port inspection and destination inspection through the "Two-stage Access" model,saving 4 working days.

Stage 3: Commodity Inspection Sampling and Laboratory Testing

In 2026,the General Administration of Customs implemented an upgraded version of "Random Inspection and Public Disclosure" for Southeast Asian food,with microbial indicators,pesticide residues,and heavy metals becoming mandatory inspection items.Zhongshen has established a green inspection channel with Chengdu Customs Technical Center and the laboratory of Sichuan Entry-Exit Inspection and Quarantine Association,which can shorten the conventional testing cycle from 10 working days to 5 working days.The key strategy is "pre-sampling": before the arrival of goods,coordinate the supplier to provide the same batch of reserved samples for testing in advance,and when the official goods arrive,the test report has been issued,realizing "inspect and release immediately".

The risks in the testing link are concentrated in three indicators: first,aflatoxin B1 in Thai spices,the standard limit was tightened from 5μg/kg to 3μg/kg in 2026; second,chloramphenicol residues in Vietnamese aquatic products,with a detection limit requirement of less than 0.1μg/kg; third,trans fatty acid content in Malaysian pastries,which must be mandatory labeled on the label.Zhongshen will check the third-party test reports of suppliers in advance,start an early warning mechanism for products close to the critical value,and advise customers to adjust the purchase batch.

Stage 4: Warehouse Management and Distribution Compliance

After passing the commodity inspection,the goods enter the bonded warehouse operated by Zhongshen in Qingbaijiang,Chengdu.In 2026,Chengdu has put forward new requirements for imported food storage: temperature-sensitive products need to upload temperature control data to the State Administration for Market Regulation platform 24 hours a day,and the warehouse must have HACCP system certification.Zhongshen’s warehouse management system is connected to the Customs Golden Customs Phase II system,and the inbound and outbound status of each pallet of goods is synchronized in real time to avoid inspection risks caused by inconsistent accounts and actual goods.

Before delivering to Ms.Peng’s company warehouse,Zhongshen will complete the final label rectification.Starting from May 1,2026,imported food must be affixed with simplified Chinese labels on the smallest sales unit,and the original label must not be covered.The label printing equipment equipped by Zhongshen supports variable data printing,accurately spraying dynamic information such as production date and batch number,avoiding being targeted by professional complaint-makers due to non-standard manual labeling.

Practical Case: Three Decision Points to Avoid Return Risks

When Ms.Peng imported the second batch of Vietnamese durian pastries,Supervisor Shi found during the document pre-examination that the consignee address on the plant quarantine certificate provided by the supplier was inconsistent with the registered address of the business license,with only a difference in the house number.According to the 2026 General Administration of Customs announcement,such inconsistency belongs to "document and certificate mismatch",and the customs has the right to directly return the goods.Zhongshen launched an emergency procedure: coordinate the Vietnamese supplier to reissue the certificate within 24 hours,and submit a "Certificate Difference Explanation" to Chengdu Customs,attaching the address change letter with the official seal.Finally,the goods were exempted from return,and only a port detention fee of CNY 1,200 was incurred.

Another key decision occurred during the customs declaration link.The batch of durian pastries contained a small amount of cheese ingredients,and the customs system prompted that an Entry Animal and Plant Quarantine Permit was required.Zhongshen’s inspection found that the cheese content was less than 5% and it had been baked at high temperature,which was exempted according to the 2026 revised version of the "List of Animals,Plants and Their Products Prohibited from Being Carried or Mailed into China".The team prepared the production process flow chart and ingredient ratio explanation in advance,and explained on-site during customs inspection,avoiding the 15 working days waiting time for applying for the permit.

Value Quantification and Efficiency Improvement of Professional Agents

Zhongshen’s service has shortened the average cycle for Chengdu enterprises to import Southeast Asian food from 22 working days to 9 working days.The direct cost reduction is reflected in four aspects: first,tariff savings due to accurate classification,with an average savings of CNY 3,000-8,000 per case; second,rectification costs avoided due to label compliance,saving CNY 15,000-30,000 per batch; third,container detention fees reduced due to optimized port selection,with an average savings of CNY 2,000; fourth,time cost compressed due to pre-testing,with a 40% increase in goods turnover rate.

In 2026,the inspection rate of Advanced AEO certified enterprises by Chengdu Customs dropped to 8%.Zhongshen is assisting three Chengdu import enterprises to prepare AEO certification materials,focusing on improving the food safety management system and supply chain safety assessment system.After obtaining the certification,enterprises can enjoy privileges such as "release first,inspect later" and priority handling,which will further amplify the leverage effect of professional agents.

For Chengdu import enterprises,the core standard for choosing an agent like Zhongshen should not be the quotation level,but should evaluate whether it has three composite capabilities: real-time tracking of export policies of ASEAN countries,in-depth understanding of the operation details of local ports in Chengdu,and the ability to predict dynamic changes in food regulations.Only the superposition of these three capabilities can transform the high-risk category of imported food into a stable profit growth point.