Nga spoke about ‘durian diplomacy’ at the ASEAN-China Ministerial Round Table Meeting

Kuala Lumpur: Minister of Housing and Local Government Nga Kor Ming has highlighted the hospitality dubbed ‘durian diplomacy’ when he served the king of the local fruit to high-ranking leaders of ASEAN and China at the new ASEAN-China Ministerial Roundtable on Construction and Housing (ACMROCH) 2024 recently.

He said the initiative aims to foster a more friendly and fruitful relationship between the countries involved.

During the event, Malaysia’s famous durian was displayed to the leaders involved, including China’s Minister of Housing and Urban-Rural Development, Ni Hong.

Nga also said the move marks another success for the country in highlighting the greatness of Malaysian durian at the global level and added that last year, durian exports from ASEAN member countries such as Thailand and Vietnam to China exceeded RM21.6 billion.

“For Malaysia, the value of frozen durian exports to China jumped from RM170 million in 2018 to RM1.19 billion in 2023,” he said in a statement on Saturday.

Through the recent signing of a memorandum of understanding between Malaysia and China to allow fresh durian to be exported, Nga expects a significant increase in Malaysian durian exports and projects a market value of RM5 billion.
He also praised the MADANI government initiative, which is expected to benefit local durian growers.

ACMROCH 2024, which lasted for three days and ended on Thursday, was for the first time chaired by Malaysia.

The event facilitated extensive knowledge sharing, policy coordination and exploration of mutually beneficial opportunities for sustainable urban development.

-AGENCIES