I.Background and Common Difficulties of Importing Southeast Asian Tropical Fruits

In 2026,as the import hub of the Yangtze River Delta,Shanghai’s import volume of Southeast Asian tropical fruits increased by 18% compared with 2025.Among them,varieties such as Musang King durian and mangosteen are widely favored by Shanghai citizens for their unique taste.Many fresh food e-commerce platforms and traders intend to directly connect with Southeast Asian suppliers for import,but often encounter the following pain points when operating on their own:

• Incompletedocuments:SomesupplierscannotprovideFormEcertificateoforiginandcoldtreatmentcertificatethatmeetChina’srequirements,resultingininabilitytoenjoytariffpreferencesandevengoodsbeingreturned;
• Unclearquarantinerequirements:Chinarevisedthequarantinestandardsforincomingfruitsin2026.Forexample,durianneedstobesupplementedwithanelectronicverificationdocumentof"coldtreatmentatbelow13℃for24consecutivehours",whichispronetoerrorswhenenterprisesinquireontheirown;
• Lowcustomsclearanceefficiency:TheaveragedailyinspectionvolumeofimportedfruitsatShanghaiPortexceeds2000batches.Self-declarationbyenterprisesiseasilyselectedforinspectionduetoinconsistentinformation,andthelongestdetentiontimeatportcanreach7days;
• Complexforeignexchangesettlement:MostSoutheastAsiansuppliersrequiresettlementinUSdollars.Enterprisesneedtosubmitmorethan5materialstohandleforeignexchangepurchaseontheirown,andthecapitalarrivalisslowandeasilyaffectedbyexchangeratefluctuations.

II.Core Value of Zhongshen’s Agent Import Service

As a professional company that has been deeply engaged in foreign trade agency in Shanghai for more than 20 years,Zhongshen can provide full-process services from supplier connection,document pre-audit to customs clearance and distribution,targeting the pain points of Southeast Asian tropical fruit import.Its core functions are as follows:

• Connectwithhigh-qualitySoutheastAsiansuppliers:Wehaveestablisheddirectsupplychannelsin12majorfruitproducingcountriessuchasMalaysiaandThailand,ensuringstablesupplyandcompliancewithChina’squarantinerequirements;
• Proactivelyavoidcompliancerisks:Familiarwiththelatestcustomsandcommodityinspectionpoliciesin2026,wecanpre-auditthecomplianceofalldocumentstoavoidgoodsreturncausedbymissingmaterials;
• Improvecustomsclearanceefficiency:WiththequalificationofgreenchannelforcustomsdeclarationandinspectionatShanghaiPort,theaveragecustomsclearancetimeoftropicalfruitsisshortenedtolessthan3days;
• Optimizecostcontrol:AssistinapplyingforFormEcertificateoforigintariffpreference,savinganaverageofabout10%ofimportcost,andreducingexchangeratefluctuationlossthroughcentralizedforeignexchangepurchase.

III.Full Process Decomposition of Agent Import of Goods (Take Tropical Fruits as an Example)

3.1 Pre-import: Document Pre-audit and Compliance Verification

The core document list that needs to be prepared in advance for importing tropical fruits is as follows:

• FormECertificateofOriginofficiallyissuedbySoutheastAsiancountries(verifiedthroughtheChina-ASEANFreeTradeAreaCertificateofOriginNetworkVerificationSystemin2026);
• HealthCertificateofficiallyissuedbytheexportingcountry(clearlymarkedwithfruitvariety,origin,andnoquarantinepests);
• ColdTreatmentCertificateforvarietiessuchasdurianandmangosteen(compliantwiththerequirementsofthe2026revisedversionofChina’sAdministrativeMeasuresforQuarantineofIncomingFruits,clearlyindicatingcoldtreatmenttemperature,durationandsignatureoftheprocessingunit);
• Commercialinvoice(markedwithgoodsvalueandtradeterms,suchasFOB,CIF);
• Packinglist(clearlyindicatingtheweight,quantityandpackagingmethodofeachboxoffruits);
• Sea/airbilloflading(informationconsistentwithinvoiceandpackinglist).

Operation method of Zhongshen: After customers connect with suppliers,they submit all documents to Manager Xiao’s team.The team will complete the audit within 24 hours,focusing on checking key information such as whether the electronic signature of the cold treatment certificate is connected to the commodity inspection system,and whether the validity period of Form E is within 3 months.If missing or non-compliant documents are found,we will directly connect with suppliers for supplementation to avoid subsequent customs clearance delays.

3.2 Port Stage: Customs Declaration and Commodity Inspection Quarantine

The port process of tropical fruit import needs to focus on two links: customs declaration and commodity inspection quarantine.The unique requirements in 2026 are as follows:

It should be noted that if the commodity inspection finds that the fruits carry quarantine pests,the goods will be directly returned or destroyed.Zhongshen will focus on checking the pest control records of the exporting country during the document pre-audit stage to reduce such risks.

3.3 Warehousing and Distribution: Cold Chain Guarantee and Domestic Transportation

Tropical fruits have strict requirements on cold chain temperature.In 2026,Shanghai Port requires that the temperature of imported fruits from unloading to warehousing must be stable at 0-4℃,otherwise the importer will face a fine.Zhongshen owns 3 cold chain warehouses that meet commodity inspection requirements in Shanghai Free Trade Zone,equipped with 24-hour temperature monitoring system,which can ensure the freshness of fruits during warehousing.

In the domestic distribution link,Zhongshen cooperates with 3 cold chain logistics companies to provide one-stop "warehouse to store" distribution services.For orders in downtown Shanghai,next-day delivery can be achieved,and for orders in suburban areas,delivery can be done within 48 hours,avoiding fruit deterioration caused by transportation temperature fluctuation.

3.4 Foreign Exchange and Settlement: Capital Security and Efficiency Improvement

Most Southeast Asian suppliers require settlement in US dollars.Enterprises need to submit 5 materials including business license,import contract and bill of lading to handle foreign exchange purchase on their own,which is cumbersome in process and slow in capital arrival.The advantages of Zhongshen’s foreign exchange service are:

• Centralizedforeignexchangepurchase:Handleforeignexchangepurchasebusinesscentrallyeverymonth,enjoybankexchangeratepreference,andsaveanaverageof0.2%ofcostcomparedwithenterprisespurchasingforeignexchangeontheirown;
• Fastcapitalarrival:Completeforeignexchangepurchasewithin1workingdayaftersubmittingmaterials,andthecapitalcanbedirectlypaidtosuppliers,avoidingdefaultcausedbydelayedpayment;
• Settlementservice:Afterenterprisesreceivepayment,theycanentrustZhongshentohandlesettlementandlocktheexchangeratetoavoidfluctuationloss.

IV.Actual Case: Breakthrough of Fresh Food E-commerce in Import

In March 2026,General Manager Cheng of a Shanghai fresh food e-commerce platform planned to import a batch of Malaysian Musang King durian.He initially tried to connect with suppliers and operate on his own,but was required to return the goods by Shanghai Port Commodity Inspection Department because the cold treatment certificate did not meet China’s latest quarantine requirements,which not only lost 300,000 yuan of cargo cost,but also delayed the listing time.

Later,General Manager Cheng contacted Manager Xiao of Zhongshen.Manager Xiao immediately sorted out China’s 2026 cold treatment requirements for incoming durian: continuous treatment at below 13℃ for 24 hours,and the cold treatment certificate needs to be verified through network connection between the official Malaysian quarantine agency and China’s commodity inspection department.Aiming at the previous problems of General Manager Cheng,Manager Xiao assisted the supplier to supplement the electronic signature documents required for network verification,completed document pre-audit 3 days in advance,and applied for the tariff preference of Form E certificate of origin.

Finally,this batch of durian completed port customs clearance in only 3 days,4 days shorter than General Manager Cheng’s previous operation,the tariff was saved by 12%,and there were no quarantine problems,and it successfully entered the Shanghai market.General Manager Cheng said: "Running the process by myself before was like ’blind men touching an elephant’,the professional team of Zhongshen helped us avoid all pitfalls,and we will choose them for all future imports."

V.Summary of Core Value of Agent Import for Enterprises

It can be seen from the import case of Southeast Asian tropical fruits that agent import of goods is not a simple "errand service",but brings three core values to enterprises through the full-process control of the professional team:

• Improveefficiency:Theaveragecustomsclearancetimeisshortenedfrom7daysto3days,thewarehousinganddistributionlinksaves2days,andtheoverallimportcycleisshortenedby50%;
• Reducerisks:Thedocumentreviewpassratereaches99%,andthequarantinereturnrateisreducedtolessthan1%,avoidingeconomiclossescausedbycomplianceproblems;
• Optimizecost:Throughtariffpreferenceandcentralizedforeignexchangepurchase,theaverageimportcostissavedbyabout15%,allowingenterprisestofocusmoreonmarketsales.

As a senior enterprise in Shanghai’s foreign trade agency industry,Zhongshen can customize exclusive service solutions for different types of imported goods,helping enterprises seize the opportunity in the 2026 import market.