纽约时报中文网 - 英文原版-英Chinas Lust for Durian Is Creating Fortunes in Southeast Asia
June 17, 2024 2 min 315 words
《纽约时报》这篇报道以中国市场对榴莲的需求为切入点，反映了中国消费者日益增长的购买力以及东南亚相关产业由此获得的发展机遇。报道提到，中国巨大的市场需求使东南亚榴莲种植者出口商和中介公司获益颇丰，同时还提及了中国商人在东南亚投资种植榴莲的例子。报道也承认，中国市场的强劲需求可能会带来环境和劳工问题。 评论：这篇报道从独特角度审视了中国市场需求对东南亚产业发展的影响，具有一定参考价值。但同时也存在一些偏见和片面之处。首先，它过度强调中国市场需求带来的负面影响，而忽视了当地政府监管不力和企业不规范行为的责任。其次，它没有全面考虑中国市场需求给东南亚带来的益处，例如促进当地经济发展创造就业机会提高收入等。此外，报道以“欲望”一词描述中国的榴莲需求，带有贬义色彩，不符合客观中立的新闻报道原则。
Before he started a company 15 years ago selling the world’s smelliest fruit, Eric Chan had a well-paying job writing code for satellites and robots. His family and friends were puzzled when he made the career change.
The fruit, durian, has long been a cherished part of local cultures in Southeast Asia, where it is grown in abundance. A single durian is typically the size of a rugby ball and can emit an odor so powerful that it is banned from most hotels. When Mr. Chan began his start-up in his native Malaysia, durians were cheap and often sold from the back of trucks.
Then, China acquired a taste for durian in a very big way.
Last year, the value of durian exports from Southeast Asia to China was $6.7 billion, a twelvefold increase from $550 million in 2017. China buys virtually all of the world’s exported durians, according to United Nations data. The biggest exporting country by far is Thailand; Malaysia and Vietnam are the other top sellers.
Today, businesses are expanding rapidly — one Thai company is planning an initial public offering this year — and some durian farmers have become millionaires. Mr. Chan is one of them. Seven years ago, he sold a controlling share of his company, which specializes in producing durian paste for cookies, ice cream and even pizza, for the equivalent of $4.5 million, nearly 50 times his initial investment.
“Everybody has been making good money,” Mr. Chan said of the once-poor durian farmers in Raub, a small city 90 minutes from Kuala Lumpur, the Malaysian capital. “They rebuilt their houses from wood to brick. And they can afford to send their children overseas for university.”