Key facts
- A protest concerning alleged animal abuse in Chongqing was dispersed by police.
- The incident underscores the Chinese government's intolerance for public demonstrations.
- China has limited nationwide laws protecting animals from mistreatment.
- The growing role of pets in Chinese households has increased public awareness of animal welfare.
An unusual public protest in Chongqing this week over a case of alleged animal abuse has underscored the reluctance of Chinese authorities to tolerate mass demonstrations of any kind, whatever the reason. The growing role of pets in Chinese households has helped elevate public awareness of animal welfare issues. China has limited animal protections by international standards, and animal-rights activists have condemned the treatment of animals in the country. Movements towards animal welfare and animal rights are expanding in China, including among homegrown Chinese activists, but still face resistance from some segments of the government. There are currently no nationwide laws in China that explicitly prohibit the mistreatment of animals, except for a more generic law protecting wildlife. However, some legislation protecting the welfare of animals exists in certain contexts, especially ones used in research and in zoos. In 2006, a proposal for a nationwide animal-protection law was introduced but did not move forward. In September 2009, the first comprehensive Animal protection law of the People's Republic of China was drafted, but it has not made any progress as of 2013. In 2014, China received an E out of possible grades A, B, C, D, E, F, G on World Animal Protection's Animal Protection Index. That same year, Chinese law was amended so as to drop the mandatory requirement of testing cosmetics on animals for all Chinese-made cosmetic products, though the law still required imported cosmetics to be tested on animals in order to be legally sold in China. In 2020, after it became known that the COVID-19 pandemic initially identified in China, could have been transmitted through wet markets selling wild animals, the Chinese government announced a temporary ban on the transportation and sale of wildlife in late January, before later announcing an indefinite (albeit still considered 'temporary') prohibition of both consumption and trade in late February, pending more comprehensive measures via an amendment to the wildlife protection law. Authorities across the country raided and shut down wet markets that sold wild or live animals. Experts cited by Business Insider noted that much of the wildlife trade was already considered illegal prior to 2020, but wet markets operated via a combination of lax enforcement and legal loopholes, which the wildlife protection law amendment sought to close. In early April 2020, the city of Shenzhen went further in its crackdown against wet markets by completely and indefinitely banning both the sale and consumption of cat meat and dog meat, starting from 1 May that year. The local government stated that the law was based not only on public health concerns, but also on evolving moral and ethical values. About a week later, the Chinese National Medical Products Administration announced that mandatory animal tests on imported cosmetics would end, as it had approved nine non-animal based test methods for the certification of cosmetics imports. It also stated that the non-animal based testing methods would be 'preferred' by the authorities as the primary method for certifying the safety of both manufactured and imported cosmetics. Several traditional Chinese worldviews emphasize caring for animals, including Taoism and Buddhist vegetarianism. Taoist Zhuang Zhou taught compassion for all sentient beings. For more modern times, Prof. Peter J. Li said in 2012 that many in mainland China had possibly become indifferent to animal suffering, because of Mao Zedong's campaigns against what he considered "bourgeois sentimentality". Focussing attention to animal welfare was regarded as "counter-revolutionary", because he believed it would detract focus from the broader push for Communism, which was meant to deliver equality for all. Since 1978, China had emphasized growth and avoidance of famine, which the government considered important for political stability. Local officials were often evaluated based on local jobs and revenue.