Shut down "Wet Markets?"

swing_voter said:

We've had waves of viruses that cross the world, infecting millions of people and killing hundreds of thousands. SARS, MERS and now COVID-19.

All of these viruses originated in Chinese "wet markets" where exotic animals are sold for consumption. People live in close contact with these animals and viruses "jump" from the animals to humans, starting deadly plagues.

Should the world force China to close these "wet markets?" Boycotting China would be one way to get them to comply.

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I'm not even sure China, as authoritarian as it can get, could close all of that trade - unless they somehow provide an alternative source of meat to what is probably millions and somehow enforce food safety regulations on them at the same time.

The Mark said:

I'm not even sure China, as authoritarian as it can get, could close all of that trade - unless they somehow provide an alternative source of meat to what is probably millions and somehow enforce food safety regulations on them at the same time.

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The exotic animals and strange animals are not cheap alternatives to pork and chicken.

Lord Tammerlain said:

The exotic animals and strange animals are not cheap alternatives to pork and chicken.

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100% correct.

ClaraD said:

Not really, they can still sell the stuff they sell us to someone else...Central America has quickly become a major consumer of Chinese products...as has Russia.

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Sure they have other markets for their goods. The point is we are their big market. The US buys hundreds of billions of dollars worth of their products. What will some Central American country buy? Maybe a few million. The reality is that nearly all the products we buy from China can be made as cheap or cheaper in a dozen other countries. What China buys from us is largely food. Because China imports 75% of it's food, that is no small item and few countries have the ability to supply it.

ClaraD said:

Not really, they can still sell the stuff they sell us to someone else...Central America has quickly become a major consumer of Chinese products...as has Russia.

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You really are showing off how little you understand of economics or supply and demand.

Where do you think China is going to go to replace the largest market, the US, in the world.
China is already selling to everyone out there that wants or can afford to buy from them. If there was more demand in Latin America then they would be selling more to them already. If there was some massive market wanting Chinese goods that China couldn't fulfill they would have already worked to increase supply.

Sorry but you very wrong on this.

swing_voter said:

We've had waves of viruses that cross the world, infecting millions of people and killing hundreds of thousands. SARS, MERS and now COVID-19.

All of these viruses originated in Chinese "wet markets" where exotic animals are sold for consumption. People live in close contact with these animals and viruses "jump" from the animals to humans, starting deadly plagues.

Should the world force China to close these "wet markets?" Boycotting China would be one way to get them to comply.

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The world should be boycotting China for a number of reasons, mostly tariffs, trade imbalances, etc. But this is another big one... the problem is that nobody seems willing to actually unite and tell China to **** off.

ttwtt78640 said:

Boycotting our major source of medical care supplies and drugs might not be such a great idea just now.

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Surely we can do it in a few months or a year.... who said right this exact minute!!! :lol:

Outlook said:

Good luck shutting the wet markets down.
Instead of a boycott, we should bring manufacturing back to the states.

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Isn't that an understood part of the process?

BahamaBob said:

Sure they have other markets for their goods. The point is we are their big market. The US buys hundreds of billions of dollars worth of their products. What will some Central American country buy? Maybe a few million. The reality is that nearly all the products we buy from China can be made as cheap or cheaper in a dozen other countries. What China buys from us is largely food. Because China imports 75% of it's food, that is no small item and few countries have the ability to supply it.

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sure we do..products that at the moment we don't have an alternative for...and products that are necessary in American culture and life. What happens? Those products that are available start selling at premium prices. Computers, cell phones, televisions, toys, medicines, PPE, printers, fiber optic cable, even things like tools...all Made in China. It isn't what China buys from us that matters so much, it is what we buy from them and we have no alternatives for....However, there are a ton of US owned companies in China...their life can be made extremely misrable and they can even be ejected from China if push comes to shove...

China Has More Leverage Thank You Think in the Trade War - The Atlantic

Quite honestly, these "wet markets" sound like a crock of **** to me.

ClaraD said:

sure we do..products that at the moment we don't have an alternative for...and products that are necessary in American culture and life. What happens? Those products that are available start selling at premium prices. Computers, cell phones, televisions, toys, medicines, PPE, printers, fiber optic cable, even things like tools...all Made in China. It isn't what China buys from us that matters so much, it is what we buy from them and we have no alternatives for....However, there are a ton of US owned companies in China...their life can be made extremely misrable and they can even be ejected from China if push comes to shove...

China Has More Leverage Thank You Think in the Trade War - The Atlantic

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That article is over a year old and mostly BS. Does anyone with a working brain believe that China will ban American companies from having manufacturing bases in China. Don't you think Apple, Microsoft, IBM and the rest of these companies have dozens of countries that would give them millions to move their operations to their country?

The whole argument boils down to this. We buy trinkets from China, we can live without trinkets. China buys food from the US, China can't live without food.

Lord Tammerlain said:

The exotic animals and strange animals are not cheap alternatives to pork and chicken.

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Depends where they are harvested and where the markets are.
Also on the supply of pork or chicken.

Lursa said:

From eating one? No. From handling and butchering one? So far that's exactly what they believe and where the epidemiologists have tracked it.

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But this isn't the first time they ate bat meat.Nor is it the first time the handled or butchered a bat. Bats have been a source of food for humans for a long time.

Bat as food - Wikipedia


Humans hunt 64 species of bats in Asia, though the intensity of hunting varies by region.[14] In Southeast Asia, bats are widely hunted in ten of the eleven countries, excluding only Singapore.[14] About 17% of bat species are hunted in Southeast Asia, or 56 species.[14] Indonesia and the Philippines have especially high levels of hunting, with a third of bat species in the Philippines subject to hunting despite legal protections such as the Philippine Wildlife Act and Philippine Cave Management Act, which are poorly enforced.[14] In some Malaysian cities, bats are seen as a luxury meat.[2] Back in 2001, it was reported that 7% of households in Thailand's Phu Kheio Wildlife Sanctuary ate bat meat.[2]

In South Asia, hunting bats for food occurs in Bangladesh by tribal groups, specifically targeting larger bat species. While bats are killed in India and Pakistan, consumption is reported to be infrequent, and perceived medicinal uses are more common motives.[14] A few studies though state that bat meat consumption is more common in certain parts of India such as the Northeast,[16] the Visakhapatnam and Srikakulam Districts in Andhra Pradesh, and the Andaman and Nicobar Islands.[2]

In East Asia, specifically southern China, bats are sometimes eaten and can be found in some markets.[4] Specific bat species eaten in China include the cave nectar bat, Pomona roundleaf bat, Indian flying fox, and Leschenault's rousette.[14] Additionally, the greater short-nosed fruit bat is hunted for medicine, but not food.[

Its not a good country to lose your parakeet in or your Bichon frise.

jamesrage said:

But this isn't the first time they ate bat meat.Nor is it the first time the handled or butchered a bat. Bats have been a source of food for humans for a long time.
[

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?? New diseases come from somewhere. I dont think you understand how this all works. And I'm not going to explain basic epidemiology.

It's also not remotely the first disease we've had originate in bats.