Panic-Buying Sweeps China as Locals Refuse to Believe Communist Party
Panic-buying has erupted across China amid fears
of a food shortage due to the Wuhan coronavirus, reports stated on
Thursday, indicating that Chinese citizens are ignoring the Chinese
Communist Party’s (CCP) statements urging people not to stockpile food.
The panic-buying has defied the wishes of the CCP, which has tried to assure people that the food supply remains abundant. On March 31, Ezhou’s market regulation bureau released a statement in which it said that people should not panic-buy and that the city has plenty of rice and oil to supply all its residents for a year. The same day, Huanggang released a similar statement to its residents, dismissing information suggesting the city faced a food shortage as a rumor.
Despite the CCP’s attempts to pacify the public, citizens reportedly remain convinced of a food shortage in China. Reports of a leaked government document confirming the food shortage have circulated online as well, further fueling the panic-buying.
On March 28, a document labeled “classified secret” was allegedly issued by the Linxia Hui regional government, according to the U.S.-funded Radio Free Asia (RFA). RFA reported that it stated that municipal and county governments must “pull out all the stops” to secure supplies of beef, lamb, cooking oil, salt, and other basic necessities. The document also stated that regional authorities must “guide the public to consciously stock up,” and make sure that “each household has enough food for 3 to 6 months, in case of unexpected circumstances.”
Accounts of food stockpiling have emerged from outside of Hubei province as well, with residents reportedly clearing store shelves of rice, oil, and noodles in Shandong and Gansu provinces.
The panic-buying was sparked by posts on Chinese social media, the Epoch Times reported, where people claimed some countries would soon ban food exports due to the Wuhan coronavirus pandemic. This has caused a significant increase in the prices of rice and cooking oil in China.
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