A screenshot of Maxim's Tmall store Photo: Taobao

Chinese mainland netizens expressed their support for Hong Kong-based restaurant chain Maxim's Caterers, as the company does not lack "conscience" on standing with the "one country, two systems" principle.

A Friday post on Weibo, China's version of Twitter, said that Annie Wu Suk-ching, the eldest daughter of Maxim's founder James Tak Wu, who founded Hong Kong's largest catering group, is putting pressure on its Chinese Foundation Secondary School in Hong Kong, to punish faculty and students who go on strike.

The post has been retweeted 13,000 times, with 95,000 likes so far. It was also one of the popular search items on Weibo on Friday.

Many netizens said they want to buy more Maxim's moon cakes. "It's not only a brand with tasty moon cakes but also justice and conscience," a netizen named Chanyajing said.

Another internet user, Jiaozitianchachi, said the move by Maxim's is a slap on the face on Taipan, a Hong Kong moon cake maker. "Mainland consumers will tell you their deeds."

Chinese mainland distributors said Thursday that all related products of Taipan have been removed from shelves and will be returned to the company's mainland general agency, which may have no option but to destroy them. This, after one of Taipan's board members, Garic Kwok, posted pictures on social media in support of pro-riot protests, according to a Hong Kong media report on Wednesday. 

In comparison, Maxim's moon cakes are enjoying a surge on China's e-commerce platforms ahead of the traditional festival Mid-Autumn Festival, which falls on September 13 this year. The festival is a peak time for moon cake sales. 

On its flagship Tmall store, 56,000 orders have been made for its signature moon cakes - white lotus seed paste and yellow lotus seed paste.

Annie Wu also founded the Chinese mainland's first joint venture - Beijing Air Catering Co, which registered as "Sino-foreign Joint Venture 001."

Maxim's has over 1,300 outlets in the Chinese mainland, Hong Kong, Macao, and countries like Vietnam, Cambodia, Thailand and Singapore, according to its official website.