As the saying goes, food is the foundation of the people’s livelihood. In 2024, catering consumption reached 5.57 trillion yuan, accounting for 11.4% of the total retail sales, the largest segment. Since 2021, the Ministry of Commerce has continuously organized a series of catering consumption promotion activities, which has played a positive role in boosting and expanding catering consumption. We will continue to organize these activities this year. On March 17, the Ministry of Commerce, together with the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security, the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, the State Administration of Market Regulation, the National Radio and Television Administration, the General Administration of Sports, and the Hubei provincial people's Government, will launch the 2025 "Chinese Cuisine Festival" in Wuhan, Hubei province. With the theme of "Enjoy Chinese Food, Create a Better Life", more than 120 special activities will be launched to promote catering consumption. The activities mainly include four aspects:

First, we will organize a variety of catering consumption activities, themed on cuisines for sports events, featured in movies, or Chinese gastronomy. We will provide guidance to local governments on designing consumption activities and unlocking new consumption drivers by integrating them with traditional festivals, consumption peak seasons, blockbuster movies, large-scale sports events and cultural activities.

Second, we will organize both online and offline activities. We will encourage bank payment and settlement institutions to work with e-commerce platforms to launch more preferential and convenient package services, such as "catering + movies" and "catering + sports events" to release consumption potential.

Third, we will create new immersive and experiential catering consumption scenes. We will encourage local governments to target niche markets, such as creative dishes, dishes suitable for the 24 solar terms, healthy diet, meals for children and the elderly, and culture-themed meals, and launch a number of innovative dishes, themed banquets and first-of-its-kind restaurants, and increase the supply of quality services.

Fourth, we will build cooperation platforms to promote Chinese catering culture. We will urge local and industry associations to carry out activities such as skill competitions, industry exchanges, and standard promotion, and continue to improve the level of catering operation and services. We will support the holding of activities such as Chinese cuisine tasting, skill demonstration, and brand promotion to spread traditional Chinese culinary art, and deepen international cooperation in the catering industry.

You are welcome to report and experience the "Chinese Cuisine Festival” by then. Thank you.