Open China Draws Quality Goods from Around the World

Summary

China's imports have kept up strong growth momentum this year, rising 22 per cent year on year in the first seven months, with inbound shipments from more than 150 trading partners all posting positive growth. Agricultural imports reached RMB904.1 billion over the same period, up 7.4 per cent. At the Greenland Global Commodity Trading Hub in Shanghai, everyday consumer goods such as Australian canola oil and Nordic Gothenburg biscuits are reaching Chinese consumers faster.

Chen Lian, who heads the Australian pavilion, said repeat purchases of large family-size and combination packs rose this year, a sign the product has genuinely entered consumers' daily cooking-oil rotation. Li Haichao, who heads the Nordic import pavilion, said Gothenburg biscuits — made with a whole-wheat base, oat grains and natural butter, and labelled 'no added sucrose' or 'low sugar' — fit Chinese afternoon-tea occasions that are extending into offices and homes. New Zealand's kiwifruit growers' association reports that the 2026 season harvest will total about 225 million trays, each holding roughly 30 fruit, breaking the 2025 record of 216 million trays.

China will receive 18 bulk vessels over the year, supplying about 46 million standard retail cartons. Zespri RubyRed kiwifruit is expected to reach 5.3 million standard retail cartons in global supply in 2026, of which 1.8 million standard retail cartons go to Greater China; airfreight volumes will reach 26,000 standard retail cartons, with sales expected to rise nearly 70 per cent from a year earlier. Jiang Shijie, president of Zespri Greater China and South Asia, said sales in China have grown nearly 20-fold over the past 15 years and are expected to keep growing at close to 10 per cent over the next five to 10 years.

MitoQ, a New Zealand cellular health brand that entered China in 2017, has posted double-digit growth in import value from a year earlier and will unveil a new product line at the ninth CIIE in November. In May and June, China's imports from Africa rose 23.5 per cent year on year, with fruit imports climbing sharply: avocados up 130 per cent, apples up 89.6 per cent and oranges up 27.9 per cent. The 'Export to China' series has staged more than 40 events at home and abroad.

The Ministry of Commerce said it will maintain a 'policy plus events' dual-drive approach and strengthen coordination between 'Export to China', 'Buy in China' and 'Invest in China'.

Commentary

Zespri, the flagship of New Zealand's horticultural exports, now counts China as its largest single market. Sales there have grown nearly 20-fold over the past 15 years, and in the 2026 season China will take about 46 million standard retail cartons — more than one-fifth of global supply. With China's agricultural imports up 7.4 per cent in the first seven months and total imports up 22 per cent, the pull of Chinese consumption upgrading on New Zealand's high-value agri-food exports has not weakened.

Two parallel signals deserve the attention of New Zealand SMEs. First, health positioning and functionality are reshaping the competitive logic of imported food. Australian canola oil is winning a place in everyday cooking-oil rotation on the back of the 'reduce oil' trend, while Nordic Gothenburg biscuits are opening up afternoon-tea occasions with 'no added sucrose/low sugar' formulations — evidence that Chinese buyers have moved from 'origin portfolios' to 'formulation solutions'.

Second, sources of competition are more diverse. China's fruit imports from Africa are growing rapidly, with avocado imports up 130 per cent, while Australia and Northern Europe are also taking health-food shelf space. New Zealand companies cannot rely solely on a 'pure origin' label; they should spell out the specific health benefits of their products — low sugar, high fibre, particular functional ingredients — and use ready-made distribution-testing channels such as the Greenland Global Commodity Trading Hub and the China International Import Expo (CIIE) to lower entry costs.

MitoQ's double-digit growth and consecutive CIIE appearances show that in niche tracks such as cellular health, New Zealand brands can build awareness through research stories. The steady arrival of Zespri's 18 bulk ships, however, rests on vertical integration and long-term brand investment that SMEs find difficult to replicate.

Keywords: import growth, Greenland Global Commodity Trading Hub, Zespri kiwifruit, agricultural imports, canola oil, consumption upgrade, China International Import Expo (CIIE), Export to China, China-Australia Free Trade Agreement (ChAFTA), MitoQ

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