During the period, Vietnam exported nearly 355,000 tons of banana to China, marking a remarkable 22% increase against the same period last year. Vietnam’s exports accounted for 48.8% of the total banana shipped to China. The figure was 2.4 times higher than that of the Philippines, marking the first time Vietnam overtook the Philippines to become the No. 1 banana exporter to the Chinese market. The Philippines is the second largest banana-growing country globally after Ecuador. Vietnam is outselling the Philippines because the latter’s banana output and quality have fallen due to climate change. The cost of shipping from the Philippines to China has also skyrocketed this year, making its bananas 33% more expensive than those from Vietnam./.