China's top legislator Zhao Leji met with President of the Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste Jose Ramos-Horta in Beijing on Monday.
Noting that China and Timor-Leste are traditional friendly neighbors, Zhao, chairman of the National People's Congress (NPC) Standing Committee, said that under the strategic guidance of President Xi Jinping and President Ramos-Horta, China and Timor-Leste have established a comprehensive strategic partnership and bilateral relations have achieved leapfrog development.
China is ready to work with Timor-Leste to implement the important consensus reached by the two heads of state, uphold and practice the principle of amity, sincerity, mutual benefit and inclusiveness, enhance mutual trust and friendship, strengthen exchanges and cooperation, and push for new and greater development of bilateral relations, Zhao said.
The NPC of China is willing to continue close and friendly exchanges with the National Parliament of Timor-Leste, strengthen exchanges of governance experience in legislation, supervision and deepening reform, and better serve the development and revitalization of the two countries and the development of bilateral relations, he said.
Ramos-Horta said China is Timor-Leste's most important cooperation and development partner.
Timor-leste firmly adheres to the one-China principle and is willing to deepen cooperation in various fields and strengthen exchanges between legislative bodies with China to better benefit the people of the two countries, he said.
On the same day, Ramos-Horta went to the Tian'anmen Square to lay a wreath at the Monument to the People's Heroes.
China's top legislator meets Timor-Leste's president in Beijing
Being wrapped up in simple but well-designed gift boxes, smaller mooncakes with less sugar and oil content have won over Chinese consumers who are increasingly looking for more healthier and simple lifestyles.
With this year's Mid-Autumn Festival being just around the corner, consumers in Beijing are flocking to bakeries that have been busy showcasing their various mooncakes wrapped up in gift boxes.
This year, the festival falls on Sept 17. On this momentous occasion, families reunite, admire the moon, share mooncakes and light up lanterns.
"This year, 90 percent of our mooncake gift boxes have simple packaging and have been better received by consumers. Customers can also opt to fill a gift box with mooncakes they prefer. This is an option we reserve every year, which is simple, less costly, and more eco-friendly," said Shao Bingjie, Mid-Autumn Festival project manager, Beijing Daoxiangcun.
In Jiaxing City, east China's Zhejiang Province, mooncake gift boxes priced between 100 to 200 yuan (about 14 to 28 U.S. dollars) have replaced those above 500 yuan as the most preferred festival option.
"The packages of mooncake gift boxes are simpler than before, but not the mooncakes inside. The mooncakes look good with cheaper prices, so, I plan to buy more of these gift boxes this year." said a consumer surnamed Xu.
The preference is shared by online buyers as well. Data showed that, over the past month, online sales of mooncakes posted a 246-percent month-over-month growth and a year-over-year increase of over 130 percent. The number of orders for mooncake gift boxes priced under 100 or 50 yuan (about 14 or 7 U.S. dollars) grew rapidly.
Mini mooncakes, typically weighing between 45 to 50 grams, compared with normal weight of about 100 grams, are sought after by consumers who are on a healthy diet.
"Smaller mooncakes like these are just enough for one person to eat at a time, with no waste at all. Unpackaged mooncakes give us a wide range of flavors to choose from. We can buy those preferred by our families, which I think is really good," said a consumer surnamed Tao.
Consumers born from 1980 to 1990, now a major force in the mooncake market, have been pursuing a healthier lifestyle. As a result, mooncakes characterized by high oil, sugar and fat content should be made smaller to meet the shift in consumer demand.
"This year, mooncakes weighing about 50 grams have been highly sought after. The proportion of smaller mooncakes in the market grew by 20 percent year over year. So far, their sales have made up over 80 percent of the total, increasing by 37 percent year over year, indicating their huge popularity among consumers," said Yao Yunhai, general manager of Shanghai Jiubai Group Co.
"Health" has been a selling point for business operators this year, who are replacing fillings of white sugar with those of xylitol, with some of them labeling their products as additive-free.
A bakery in Anyang City, central China's Henan Province, is offering consumers mooncakes made with less sugar and fat.
"This year, we rolled out mooncakes containing base ingredients such as egg liquid and are lower in sugar and oil content. They are well received by consumers. These mooncakes are being promoted as a healthy food, and they are well received by seniors," said Zhang Heming, the store manager.
Franchised partners of a time-honored bakery selling zhoucun shaobing, a thin flat bread with crispy sesame crust, in eastern Shandong Province, are innovating their handmade traditional mooncakes, reducing the sugar contained in the pastries. "The mooncakes are characterized by less sugar and oil content, but their flavor is better," said Zhang Junjie, general engineer of Shandong Zhoucun Shaobing Co., Ltd.
According to an industry trend report released by China Association of Bakery and Confectionery Industry, the country's mooncake production this year is projected to be at 300,000 tonnes, and the sales are expected to be around 20 billion yuan (nearly 3 billion U.S. dollars).
Chinese consumers turn to healthier, simply packaged mooncakes
