APR 4 SHENZHEN BANS SALE OF CAT AND DOG MEAT

APR 4  SHENZHEN BANS SALE OF CAT AND DOG MEAT

On Tuesday, the south Chinese city of Shenzhen announced an official ban on the manufacturing and sales of cat and dog meat. It became the first mainland city to do so. (Hong Kong and Taiwan already do.) Let's get to your questions!

Has the Chinese government done anything else? Sandra, Des Moines. Yes, in February the National People's Congress passed legislation banning the trade and consumption of wild animals throughout the country. Violators will be "severely punished" but no specifics are given. If you've never heard of the People's Congress, it's because it's an insignificant puppet organization for "President" Xi. Few believe this law will be enforced, as evidenced by the reopening of wet markets across China.

Where is Shenzhen? Jim, Dublin. Shenzhen is located just north of Hong Kong on the banks of the Pearl River. In 1980, it was designated a Special Economic Zone. This exempts the city from certain trade laws to make it easier to build factories for Western corporations. That's exactly what happened. Called the 'Silicon Valley of China,' Shenzhen produces a ton of cellphones, tablets and laptops. It's the third largest container port in the world.

How do the people of Shenzhen feel about it? Luis, Puebla. Let's face it, the 12 million people who live in Shenzhen are too busy to eat. Workers at the Huawei plant do the dreaded '9-9-6 Shift.' That's 9am - 9pm, six days a week. Do the math: It's a 72-hour work week. Yes, that's illegal in the People's Republic, but since Shenzhen is a Special Economic Zone, it's tolerated. After all, these tech companies are dominating the world's consumer market.

What impact will the law have? Anita, Gotenberg. Shenzhen has a population around 12 million. That sounds big...but in a country with 1.4 billion people...it's pretty tiny. Given the fact the media is state controlled, it's doubtful others in China will even hear about it. So, the law is mostly a move done by the PRC, hoping to get favorable articles in the foreign press and praise from random bloggers.

What does this mean for the future? Reinhard, Dresden. Recently, the world media has shown horrid photos of caged animals at Chinese markets. While these aren't representative of the vast majority of Chinese grocery stores, one thing is clear: Better regulation is needed. (We feel it's one's choice if they want to eat a bat...all that matters as the meat is virus-free!) And it's not just the wet markets. Better regulation is need in China's labor practices, copyright infringement, waste disposal, etc. Too often, the PRC gets a free pass to violate laws that the rest of the world already follows. Now everyone is paying the price.