by Poreg’s China watcher*

A disinformation researcher Marcel Schliebs has identified hundreds of accounts affiliated with pro – China agenda pushing forward the theory of exported cold meats being a reason for the spread of corona virus. The Chinese state media seems interested in proving that beef from Brazil, shrimp from Saudi Arabia and pork from the USA are the reason corona virus is spreading1.

Latest in this edition is China’s claim that lobsters from Maine are the reason that coronavirus is spreading. Schliebs analysed twitter feed of pro- China accounts for 18 months and noted that the Maine lobster theory was pushed by a Chinese diplomat posted to the Kolkata consulate. Zha Liyou posted this theory in November 2019 and it has resulted in the snow ball effect. Both wholesale lobster suppliers and the Centre for Disease Control in Maine have categorically stated that these claims have no basis in facts.2 but China has turned a deaf ear to their assertions.

One can see a correlation between the growing international concerns about China’s Wuhan city being the epicenter of coronavirus and these contaminated meat accusations. China, in an attempt to counter the narrative, seems to be promoting the contaminated meat theory.

The comrades have attempted to justify their contention by quoting WHO that the virus can live for several hours on surfaces of cardboards and plastics and have concluded it can thus be passed on to human beings.

It has been a real hassle for both the EU and the US to meet the stringent requirements of inspection by China now even involving video inspection of the site. The biggest issue being while the officers insist on inspecting the produce it has been noticed that half of it rots away since the process is slow. WHO in an attempt to navigate a rock and a hard place has stated that they have asked for the evidence on which China has based its new inspection policy but has received no such proof thus far.

An Oxford team reviewed 60 peer review studies and found no virus can be passed from surfaces to humans. 3

However, one correlation at the very least has become obvious; the correlation between any country taking a stance against the CCP policies in anyway and China claiming their food is contaminated and thus hurting that countries exports.

One such example is Norway that has enjoyed a monopoly like status for the better part of a decade in China as the prime salmon exporter to the Middle Kingdom. As Oslo awarded Nobel Peace Prize to Chinese dissident Liu Xiabo in 2010, the reaction was swift.

China’s salmon imports saw a 92 percent fall to 29 percent within the first half of 2010 itself. On their part, consumers in China remain oblivious to this dispute and continue to prefer Norwegian salmon.

Australia too has been on the receiving end of the ire of the CCP with their wine and beef exports completely declining as well as the claim that their lobsters too are contaminated with coronavirus4.

New Zealand is another country that has had its borders closed for a while and has had very stringent rules for people and products coming in. They too have claimed that they have found no proof of cross contamination via frozen products to humans and hence not a cause of concern as a potential spreading method.

It is fairly obvious that China is using every bit of their position as a growing superpower to keep the rest of the world in check in terms of questioning their agenda and policies within mainland China and territories that China claims as their own5.

New Zealand, however, is avoiding suffering the fate Australia by refraining from taking a stance on the Wuhan coronavirus debacle. It has instead opted to play friendly negotiation facilitator for China and any other country that it is currently in a trade war. It is apparent that most of the world, especially countries that depend heavily on exporting to China, are no longer willing to take a risk and invoke the ire of China.

The United States, being a superpower, has gone head to head with China in a trade war since the Trump presidency and it seems to be only escalating under President Biden due to mistrust and stress of the pandemic induced economic crisis.

It is yet to be seen how far China will take its war on exports against democracies that disagree with the CCP.

(*The writer is a senior journalist )

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REFERENCES:

1. https://www.wsj.com/articles/who-caught-between-china-and-west-on-frozen-food-coronavirus-transmission-11611324088
2. https://www.nbcnews.com/news/china-linked-disinformation-campaign-blames-covid-maine-lobsters-rcna3236
3. https://www.wsj.com/articles/who-caught-between-china-and-west-on-frozen-food-coronavirus-transmission-11611324088
4. https://www.ft.com/content/ab456776-05b0-11e3-8ed5-00144feab7de
5. https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/international/world-news/will-packaged-food-give-you-corona-the-mystery-continues/what-who-says/slideshow/77627132.cms