Thailand’s Minister of Commerce, Mr. Pichai Naripthaphan, announced on Saturday, June 7th, that the country is ramping up efforts to boost agricultural exports to China, with a particular focus on cassava and rice.
According to the Bangkok Post, Thailand’s trade with China has been flourishing, and China’s demand for Thai products such as rice, cassava, and durian continues to surge. The Southeast Asian country’s Ministry of Commerce is now aiming to further expand its market share in China.
Thailand’s cassava exports to China have exceeded expectations following a trade agreement between the two nations, as stated by Minister Pichai. Cassava has been gaining popularity in China, and the Thai government intends to capitalize on this trend through promotional programs.
Interestingly, both rice and cassava are also key export commodities for Vietnam to China. In the first five months of 2025, Vietnam’s cassava and cassava product exports to China reached an impressive figure of 1.9 million tons, equivalent to USD 562 million, signifying a 66% increase in volume and an 11% surge in value. This accounts for over 93% of Vietnam’s total cassava exports.
Meanwhile, China has also increased its imports of Vietnamese rice, with figures reaching 412,000 tons, valued at USD 209 million, indicating a 102% surge in volume and a 75% increase in value compared to the same period last year.
Data from the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment reveals that 2017 marked the peak of China’s rice imports from Vietnam, totaling USD 1 billion. However, this number dipped to USD 240 million in 2019 and experienced a slight recovery in 2020-2021.
In 2022, Vietnam exported over 834,000 tons of rice to China, valued at USD 423.2 million. This trend continued into 2023, with China importing more than 917,000 tons of rice, worth nearly USD 531 million, from Vietnam.
Nevertheless, there was a significant drop in Vietnam’s rice exports to China in 2024. Fortunately, in 2025, China resumed its increased imports of Vietnamese rice, primarily purchasing ST25 and sticky rice varieties.
The Vietnam Food Association (VFA) forecasts that Vietnam’s total rice exports for 2025 will reach approximately 7.5 million tons. Maintaining the current 10% proportion, exports to China may reach around 750,000 tons this year, matching or surpassing the results of 2023.
Thailand’s intensified efforts to export cassava and rice to China could pose new challenges for Vietnam, potentially impacting the market share of these two key agricultural products in the massive Chinese market, especially given the unpredictable fluctuations in tariffs.
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