Measures sustain consumption upgrade

BEIJING - As usual, Zeng Quande's birthday party this year was full of foreign flavors, such as German beer, Russian wine and Belgium candy. The white-collar worker in Southwest China's Chongqing municipality had bought them at a local exhibition and trade center for branded commodities.

"Our generation has become accustomed to buying foreign products. The center is convenient for consumers," said Zeng, a bank clerk. The center Zeng visits frequently has 35,000 types of commodities imported from 40 countries and regions, through China-Europe container trains, ships and other means.

After 40 years of reform and opening-up, for Chinese citizens like Zeng, it is no longer a luxury to purchase foreign brands of food, wine, cosmetics, and smartphones, thanks to booming e-commerce, fast logistics, more imports and growing income.