On October 1, the ASEAN Seafood and Fruit Exhibition at Huaihua International Land Port, hosted by the Huaihua International Land Port Economic Development Zone, officially kicked off. The three-day event, which will run until October 3, is designed to fully harness the consumption boom of the National Day holiday, further invigorate the regional consumer market, showcase high-quality ASEAN seafood, distinctive fruits and a wide range of commodities, expand sales channels for ASEAN imports into Huaihua and surrounding markets to boost the holiday economy.
The event has attracted a number of enterprises to exhibit, with more than 40 standard booths carefully planned and scientifically laid out with complete functions. The exhibition zones are organized around three themed sections, namely the ASEAN seafood zone, the ASEAN fruit zone and the specialty non-staple food zone, showcasing imported snacks, specialty non-staple foods and tropical fresh fruits from ASEAN countries including Vietnam, Thailand and Malaysia. To meet consumers’ diverse needs, the venue also features a dedicated coffee and beverage area and a specialty barbecue and snack area, creating an immersive “shop as you eat” experience.
Notably, the venue includes a dedicated seafood processing zone, where residents can select live seafood on the spot and have it processed immediately. A seafood tasting zone also offers tasting experience. From shrimp and crab to durian and bananas, and authentic ASEAN-style snacks, the wide array of goods enables residents to relish the “flavors of Southeast Asia” without ever leaving Huaihua.
Huaihua sits at the juncture of five provinces/regions (Hunan, Hubei, Chongqing, Guizhou and Guangxi) and is Hunan’s sole freight hub oriented toward ASEAN. Leveraging the strategic advantages of the Huaihua International Land Port and the New International Land-Sea Trade Corridor, an efficient and convenient cross-border logistics thoroughfare has taken shape, enabling quality ASEAN fresh produce to reach Huaihua consumers quickly. The exhibition is a vivid reflection of the Huaihua International Land Port’s transformation from a “corridor economy” to a “hub economy”, deepening economic and trade exchanges with ASEAN countries, enriching local residents’ diverse consumption choices, and strongly boosting the high-quality development of the port-side industry.
The exhibition fully leverages the corridor advantages of the Huaihua International Land Port and the efficient capacity of its cold-chain trains, enabling direct sourcing at origin and direct, temperature-controlled delivery of ASEAN seafood and fruit. This significantly reduces intermediate distribution links and logistics costs, turning the tangible “corridor dividend” into concrete benefits for residents, who can enjoy high-quality imported goods at high cost-effectiveness.
To further heat up consumption, the event has rolled out multiple promotional measures. No-threshold consumption vouchers and spending threshold-based discount vouchers are distributed on site, which can be used for deduction at participating merchants at the fair to stimulate on-site purchasing power.
The exhibition is not only a cross-border feast for the palate, but also a vivid epitome and concentrated display of Huaihua’s opening-up achievements. The venue is bustling with visitors, with durian, various ASEAN seafood and other specialty products proving highly popular among residents; many sought-after items are snapped up as soon as they hit the shelves, and merchants are continuously restocking to ensure the three-day exhibition runs smoothly and in an orderly manner. As residents enjoy authentic ASEAN fresh goods and exotic charm right at their doorstep, they can directly experience the strong momentum and opening vitality of Huaihua’s deep integration into the New International Land-Sea Trade Corridor and efficient connectivity with the ASEAN market. Looking ahead, the Huaihua International Land Port will continue to amplify its advantages as a corridor hub with cold-chain logistics, keep the ASEAN fresh produce import channel unobstructed, promote the regularized “bringing in” of more high-quality overseas specialty products, enrich residents’ consumption choices, unleash the market’s consumption potential, and facilitate consumption upgrading, injecting strong momentum into Huaihua’s efforts to build itself into a regional consumption and tourism distribution center and create a new high ground for inland opening-up.
(Translated by Yang Hong)