You know it’s almost the Mid-Autumn Festival when you’re getting at least one news story a week on mooncake crime.
In the latest edition of the Mooncake Chronicles (not a real publication, FYI), mainland authorities have reportedly seized 190 boxes of Hong Kong-made mooncakes.
While HK’s food safety officials have not yet received a clear response from their mainland counterparts after reports about the incident appeared in the Chinese press on Monday, they suspect the move was part of a crackdown on parallel trading.
The mooncakes were apparently seized in Zhejiang last week, while Shenzhen reportedly launched a four-day crackdown on traders on Monday.
Since then, parallel goods trading near the border has quietened down significantly, according to Leung Kam-shing from the North District Parallel Imports Concern Group.
“Most storage centres in two industrial areas where parallel-goods traders store their products have closed,” he told the SCMP. “The Lo Wu border crossing has also become quieter.”
However, Leung expects activity to pick up again as mainlanders strive to avoid taxes on the must-have item for the Mid-Autumn Festival at the end of this month.
Excellent. We reckon there’s a few good stories on mooncake mischief left in us yet!
Photo: John Loo
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