[World Report] China'shakes' over imported cherry corona detection... The authorities' dilemma

China has recently been overreacting to imported foods.

The news that the corona19 virus was detected in imported foods is admiring the Chinese internet and social media as the day is far away.

There is also a wide variety of items such as pork, chicken wings, king crab, cod, mackerel, squid, milk, ice cream, and beer.

Looking at the news, I wonder if there are any imported foods that can be safely eaten in China.

Among them, the most eye-catching item in recent years is cherry.

the 22nd, the health authorities in Wuxi, Jiangsu Province, announced that the corona 19 virus was detected in the packaging of imported cherries.

It was said that merchants who contacted them were also quarantined.

Subsequently, it was reported that imported cherries were positive for Corona 19 in Shijiazhuang, Hebei Province.

Imported cherries have also been introduced from other provinces, and related merchants have been quarantined one after another, and some markets have said they will ban cherries for the time being.

The anxiety surrounding the cherry spread.

Hashtags such as'Is it safe to buy cherries and seafood' and'Is it okay to eat imported cherries' appeared on social media one after another, recording 450 million views and 180 million views, respectively.

Finally, the Chinese health authorities came out.

In an interview with China's state-run CCTV, Fengzhizen, deputy chief of the China Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said, "It is not necessarily contagious just because a positive reaction is found."

Consumers said that no cases of infection were found.

Other experts quarreled, saying, "It's safe to wash in clean water and eat."

On social media, specific methods such as'soak the cherries in water for 10 to 20 minutes, wash them with a fruit cleaner, etc., and rinse them in clear water' have spread.

the attitude of the Chinese authorities is different from that of other imported foods before.

Until recently, Chinese health officials banned the distribution of foods detected with the corona19 virus, or significantly strengthened customs inspection and disinfection.

They even banned imports.

What is the reason?

China's state-run Global Times reported on the 27th that "the price of imported cherries plunged 90% due to concerns over Corona 19."

It is said that the price of imported cherries, which had been traded at a maximum of 160 yuan (27,000 won) per kg in Zhejiang Province, fell to 16 yuan (2,700 won), as the demand for cherries plummeted after the cherry tested positive for Corona 19.

In an interview with the Global Times, a cherry wholesaler in Shanghai lamented, "Cherry can only be stored at room temperature for a few days," and "If it doesn't sell, you have to throw it away."

A fruit wholesaler headquartered in Guangdong Province said cherry sales had halved in a few days, and an official from the Yunnan fruit market told China's state-run CCTV that "there are few customers coming to buy cherries."

Cherry merchants are complaining from all over China.

It doesn't seem like a problem for merchants alone.

In China, there is a word'cherry freedom'.

It means that cherries, an expensive imported fruit, can be eaten to your heart's content, which symbolizes the economic growth of the Chinese middle class along with economic growth in China.

However, there are even sayings that'cherry freedom' has disappeared as consumers are unable to buy cherries with confidence.

of the Chinese authorities can be seen in this section of the'dilemma

of the

.

Chinese authorities have been emphasizing the dangers of imported food.

Imported food is the main culprit in the spread of Corona 19.

China is safe, and they claim that imported food is contaminating China.

On the 18th, before this Cherry incident, Deputy Chief Fengzzen, mentioned earlier, said, "All Corona 19 that occurred in China since April of last year came from overseas."

"The coronavirus that spread in China early last year has already been blocked," he said.

Chinese government scholars and state media further argue that the virus that initially spread in Wuhan could have been introduced from abroad.

The Huanan Fish Market, which was the epicenter of the spread of Wuhan, sold not only wild animals, but also imported seafood and meat, and it is not unrelated to the discovery of coronavirus in imported food.

However, experts in other countries are not admitting this.

The World Health Organization (WHO) has also stated that "there is no evidence of transmission through food or food packaging."

Rather, wild animals sold as food in Wuhan are the origin of the coronavirus, experts in other countries estimate.

China must continue to highlight the dangers of imported food to avoid its responsibility for the spread of COVID-19, but that will not be able to ignore the grievances of local merchants and consumers.

This seems to be the reason why the Chinese authorities took an ambiguous position in the cherry incident.