China's consumers still see imported food as a sign of quality

More than 80 percent of Chinese consumers are interested in purchasing imported goods, according to a "2024 white paper on Chinese cross-border import consumption trends" released in June by a large Chinese e-commerce company and a multinational marketing company. The paper was a promotion of the Chinese company's cross-border e-commerce platforms as a means for foreign products to enter the Chinese market.  The paper said 56 percent of Chinese consumers recognize the value of international brands and products of foreign origin as signs of quality.

The "white paper" listed beauty and skin care, personal care, nutrition and health, maternal and child care, and food and beverages as the main categories of imported goods purchased by consumers during the past year. Consumers pay attention to the ingredients, taste, health and convenience when purchasing food and beverages.

Imports have a significant role in China's agricultural and food economy even during a year of economic slowdown. According to China's customs administration imports of agricultural products during the first half of 2024 were valued at $109.5 billion. The value of agricultural imports was equal to about 24 percent of the agricultural, forestry and fishing GDP reported for the first half of 2024. An overlapping category called "food" had imports of $94.4 billion.

Sources: China's National Bureau of Statistics and Customs Administration.

• Meat imports during H1 2024 totaled 3.3 million metric tons, about 7 percent of H1 2024 meat output reported by China's National Bureau of Statistics. 
• Cereal grain imports totaled 34.5 million metric tons, 25 percent of H1 2024 summer grain output of 149.8 million metric tons. 
• Soybean imports of 48.5 million metric tons for H1 2024 are more than double last fall's soybean production of 20.8 million metric tons. 

With China's economy in a downturn, the value of China's agricultural imports for H1 2024 was down 10.3 percent from the same period last year. This was the first decline in H1 ag imports after a string of increases. This year's H1 ag import value was slightly higher than the value reported in 2021. This year, most agricultural categories posted declines in both value and volume. 

Source: China customs administration.