By Chris Chang
https://muckrack.com/chris-chang
Chinese Communist Party (CCP) mouthpiece Xinhua last week listed 24 reasons why China should not be held accountable for the Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.
The following are some of Xinhua's more egregious misrepresentations and deflections:
Claim: "There are no so-called 'wildlife wet markets' in China"
After early evidence pointed to the Huanan Seafood Market in the Hubei Province city of Wuhan as the place where COVID-19 made the jump to humans, the existence of wildlife trading in China drew criticism. However, the state-run press claimed that selling wildlife is forbidden in China and that wildlife wet markets do not exist in the country. According to Xinhua, Chinese consumers only frequent farmer's markets where people sell fresh meat, seafood, and vegetables — just like in the West.
Facts:
A price list from the market showed that wildlife was indeed frequently traded there. Since the country implemented its Wildlife Production Law in 1989, the sale of wild animals for consumption has only become more commonplace. Ironically, the regulation of wildlife as a national resource boosted its value, and wildlife markets full of animals like pangolins, deer, and civet cats have proliferated.
https://www.taiwannews.com.tw/en/news/3932354