China and Uzbekistan Sign a Protocol on Watermelon Exports to China: 38 Types of Fruits and Vegetables Already Approved for Export to China, with 7 Categories Including Apples and Pears Waiting in Line for Market Access

From September 15 to 17, Sun Meijun, Director of the General Administration of Customs, led a delegation to visit Uzbekistan. During the visit, the two sides officially signed the Protocol on Phytosanitary Requirements for the Export of Fresh Watermelons from Uzbekistan to China and the Work Plan on Electronic Certification, giving Uzbek fresh watermelons a "pass" to enter the Chinese market.

In recent years, China-Uzbekistan agricultural trade has continued to heat up. At present, 38 types of fruit and vegetable products from Uzbekistan have been approved for export to China with a phytosanitary certificate. In 2025, melons, almonds and dried cherries were the first to join the list of exports to China; in 2026, the scope of market access expanded further, with dried garlic, onions, beets, carrots, tomatoes, radishes, pumpkins, eggplants, zucchini and leafy vegetables successively approved. As for fresh fruits, Uzbek cherries, melons, pomegranates, lemons, grapes, as well as stone fruits such as nectarines, plums and apricots, have all been granted market access to China.

Customs statistics show that in 2025 Uzbekistan exported a total of 193,000 tonnes of fruit and vegetable products to China, worth about 210 million US dollars, and the Chinese market has become one of the most important overseas markets for Uzbek fruits and vegetables.

It is understood that during the visit the two sides also held in-depth consultations on accelerating the phytosanitary approval process. In the next stage, 7 categories of products including apples, pears, onions, persimmons, dried figs, millet and sunflower seeds are expected to successively complete quarantine market access, further enriching the choice of Central Asian fruits and vegetables on the tables of Chinese consumers.