You cannot get away from it, at least in print or in Google land. African swine fever is doing its rounds, cutting through the swine population of Asia with remorseless dedication. Since its deadly debut in China last year,
it has done away with some 25 percent of the globe's pig population. The symptoms are dramatic and lethal (mortality rates
range from 95 to 100 percent), with the infected animal haemorrhaging and perishing between a period of five to fifteen days. This decline has sparked all manner of comment: a feared deprivation of pork dishes, a spark of hope in exports of pork untouched by the disease and alternative meat supplies, and the more serious issue of food security.
In China itself, the decline of pork is causing a strain of desperation, though it is always marked by reassurance and stiff-upper lip confidence. Pork supplies, both domestically and internationally, had been seen to be something of an
essential in Chinese food security.
In September, the country's pig population, numbering some 440 million animals, had shrunk by 41.1 percent. While figures coming out of various Chinese ministries should be viewed with a healthy dose of scepticism, the numbers from the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs have caused a stir. Such contractions are perpetuating and will continue to perpetuate a loss in the global consumption of protein.
Comment: China's repeated bouts of hysteria over Taiwan have a lot in common with Israel's. In this case, as with the recent NBA controversy, it all comes down to money: these countries want Chinese business, and China demands ideological conformity. But really, who should care what the Chinese government thinks? Or the Israeli government? Or any government? The only thing that really matters is what the people think.
The West considers Crimea to be Ukrainian, for example. The Russians don't throw a hissy fit. They know Crimea is Russian. Crimeans know Crimea is Russian. Over 95% of Crimeans voted to return to Russia, and polls show that over 85% of Crimeans would vote the same today. How many Taiwanese want to rejoin China? 10-15%. (See here, here and here.) China could benefit by toning down the snowflakery.