News on Animal Protection in China:
- On October 22, 2020, Ban Yue Tan, a magazine issued by the Xinhua News Agency, published a groundbreaking article to reveal the criminal industry of “cat abuse videos”. On December 1, 2020, the magazine published another article concerning the black market of animal abuse videos. The Cyberspace Administration of China (CAC) responded to this issue by accusing images and videos of cat abuse as “illegal contents of graphic violence”, and pledged to eliminate such contents to maintain a civilized cyberspace.
Editor’s note: Articles published by Ban Yue Tan, a magazine recognised by the Chinese government, are highly authoritative. The magazine’s continuous publication on animal abuse over the past two months will propel legislation banning animal abuse in the Two Sessions next year.
- On December 3, 2020, the International Forum on Animal Welfare and Public Health was held in Beijing. The attendees included officials from the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs of China and representatives of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. “Animal welfare and public health” was discussed in-depth.
“The sudden outbreak of Covid-19 at the beginning of 2020 has caused a huge loss to the poultry industry, but has also created a window of opportunity for us to truly rethink the human-animal relationship. Animals’ health and happiness have a direct impact on ours. The uncertainty amid the pandemic has put food safety under the spotlight, which will help hasten the development of animal welfare for the coming five to ten years”, said Mr. Zhao Wanping, deputy dean of the Anhui Academy of Agricultural Sciences, member of the National People’s Congress.
Editor’s note: As a member of the National People’s Congress, Mr. Zhao Wanping led 30 other members to jointly petition the government for the prompt enactment of “Animal Protection Law”, which would effectively improve animal welfare and protect human health.
WDA Regional Director of Mainland China
Sky Liu
December 15, 2020