*THREAD*

A closer look at viruses (in animals and humans), the pork industry, national security, offshore firms, and politics in relation to China/Hong Kong over the past 8 years or so.
2/

First, let& #39;s go all the way back to 1918 pandemic influenza.

"Interestingly, swine influenza was first recognized as a clinical entity in that species in the fall of 1918 concurrently with the spread of the second wave of the pandemic in humans."

https://twitter.com/sisu_sanity/status/1254349971404607489">https://twitter.com/sisu_sani...
3/

January 25, 2013

What?!

"At least one in five people WORLDWIDE were infected with swine flu during the first year of the 2009-2010 H1N1 pandemic, an international research group said on Friday."

Swine flu infected 1 in 5, death rate low, study shows http://reut.rs/14dAKIK ">https://reut.rs/14dAKIK&q...
6/

January 31, 2013

"The hacking coincided with an investigation the Times published last October that looked into a fortune that the family of China& #39;s Prime Minister Wen Jiabao had amassed."

New York Times Hacked Again, This Time Allegedly by Chinese https://www.wired.com/2013/01/new-york-times-hacked/">https://www.wired.com/2013/01/n...
7/

February 26, 2013

"ProgressKentucky, a & #39;progressive& #39; group,...made headlines by announcing its intention to fund a Tea Party candidate to run against Sen. Mitch McConnell in the 2014 primary."

KY Group Tweets Racist Conspiracy About McConnell’s Wife https://talkingpointsmemo.com/dc/kentucky-progressive-group-tweets-racist-conspiracy-about-mitch-mcconnell-s-wife">https://talkingpointsmemo.com/dc/kentuc...
8/

"Chao was Labor Secretary for the entirety of George W. Bush’s tenure. She is a distinguished fellow at the conservative Heritage Foundation think tank. Her father, who fled China for Taiwan after the Communist Revolution, founded NY-based Foremost Group, a shipping company."
9/

March 7, 2013

The supposed & #39;anti-Chinese fear mongering& #39; and & #39;race-baiting& #39; included:

"Mitch and his $$$ have VERY strong ties to # China."

"Her “Chinese (money)” is buying state elections."

Opinion: Shame on Democrats for & #39;race-baiting& #39;
https://www.cnn.com/2013/03/07/opinion/navarrette-elaine-chao/index.html">https://www.cnn.com/2013/03/0...
11/

March 12, 2013

"National Security Adviser Thomas Donilon said cyber security was a "growing challenge" to the US economic relationship with Beijing...growing US concern over cyber-crimes said to originate in China."

US official in China hacking call https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-china-21751204">https://www.bbc.com/news/worl...
12/

April 2013

"Cases of porcine epidemic diarrhea (PED) were first diagnosed in the United States (U.S.) beginning in
April 2013."

Swine Enteric Coronavirus Introduction to the United States: Investigation Report
https://www.aphis.usda.gov/animal_health/animal_dis_spec/swine/downloads/secd_final_report.pdf">https://www.aphis.usda.gov/animal_he...
15/

May 29, 2013 (2 days after https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="👆" title="Up pointing backhand index" aria-label="Emoji: Up pointing backhand index">)

"Smithfield Foods (SFD), the world& #39;s largest processor of pork, announced it was being bought by Chinese meat producer Shuanghui International for nearly $5 billion."

Smithfield Foods bought by Chinese meat producer http://cnnmon.ie/1iPHEKY ">https://cnnmon.ie/1iPHEKY&q...
16/

"The biggest takeover of a US company by a Chinese firm to date.

Shuanghui is China& #39;s largest pork producer and is part owned by an investment firm run by Goldman Sachs."

Smithfield Foods sale to Chinese firm gives US pork giant entry to China https://www.theguardian.com/business/2013/may/29/smithfield-pork-shuanghui-chinese-takeover">https://www.theguardian.com/business/...
17/

"As demand has risen China& #39;s domestic pig farmers have been subject of scandals with 1000& #39;s of dead pigs found dead in Chinese rivers, disease outbreaks and illnesses. There have also been recent reports of contamination of the Chinese meat supply from a bird-flu outbreak."
18/

"Smithfield has also struggled w/ safety & work practice issues. The 1st confirmed case of H1N1 swine flu during the 2009 pandemic was a 5-year-old boy living near a Smithfield subsidiary in Mexico. 600+ residents living near the plant were infected w/ a mysterious illness."
19/

"Shuanghui chairman Wan Long called the deal an & #39;historic opportunity.& #39; Wan is a high-profile business leader in China, where he is known as the country& #39;s & #39;No 1 butcher& #39; because his company slaughters more than 15m pigs a year."
20/

"This is a great transaction for all Smithfield stakeholders, as well as for American farmers and US agriculture," said Larry Pope, president and chief executive officer of Smithfield. "It will be business as usual – only better."
22/

June 20, 2013

"Minority Leader Mitch McConnell and Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus were among the five Agriculture Committee members who did not sign the letter."

Senators urge inclusion of food safety in Smithfield review http://reut.rs/19m1ZCy ">https://reut.rs/19m1ZCy&q...
24/

July 10, 2013

Smithfield CEO Larry Pope: "...deal would not result in any food imports from China to the US. Therefore, it would not have any impact on the US food supply or food security."

US senators are squealing about a Chinese pork takeover https://qz.com/102774/ ">https://qz.com/102774/&q...
25/

September 4, 2013

"The question is, are foreign purchases like this one in America’s interests, for our food security, national security, and for our economy?" - Debbie Stabenow, Senate Agriculture Committee Chair

Protect American food innovation https://www.politico.com/story/2013/09/united-states-food-innovation-96238.html">https://www.politico.com/story/201...
26/

September 6, 2013

The deal got "the nod from the Committee on Foreign Investment in the US (CFIUS), an inter-agency panel that examines foreign investment for threats to national security."

U.S. clears Smithfield& #39;s acquisition by China& #39;s Shuanghui http://reut.rs/17FeOby ">https://reut.rs/17FeOby&q...
27/

November 26, 2013

"A new look at the 2009 pandemic of H1N1 swine flu finds an unusual pattern — more people died in the Americas than in the rest of the world. What’s not clear is why."https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="🤔" title="Thinking face" aria-label="Emoji: Thinking face">

Americas especially hard hit by 2009 swine flu, study finds https://www.nbcnews.com/healthmain/americas-especially-hard-hit-2009-swine-flu-study-finds-2D11657478">https://www.nbcnews.com/healthmai...
28/

December 9, 2013

"Chinese hackers eavesdropped on the computers of five EU foreign ministries before last September’s G20 Summit, which was dominated by the Syrian crisis."

Chinese hackers spied on EU before G20 meeting http://reut.rs/1cxdKJb ">https://reut.rs/1cxdKJb&q...
29/

December 31, 2013

Lawmakers pointed out "that Huawei& #39;s CEO was once an officer in China& #39;s People& #39;s Liberation Army, or PLA, the military arm of the country& #39;s Communist party."

U.S. to China: We Hacked Your Internet Gear We Told You Not to Hack https://www.wired.com/2013/12/nsa-cisco-huawei-china/">https://www.wired.com/2013/12/n...
30/

April 8, 2014

"Scientists think the virus, which does not infect humans or other animals, came from China, but they don& #39;t know how it got into the country."

US pork prices rise 10% after virus kills millions of piglets https://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/apr/08/pork-prices-rise-virus-kills-millions-pigs">https://www.theguardian.com/world/201...
31/

May 28, 2014

"Hog futures reached a record high last month and are up more than 26 percent at $115 per hundredweight since the first U.S. outbreak was confirmed last summer."

Deadly Pig Virus Re-infects U.S. Farm https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/deadly-pig-virus-re-infects-u-s-farm/">https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/d...
32/

September 12, 2014

"The takeover raised concerns the Chinese government was a hidden player in the deal.

The Chinese paid a 30% premium...so what& #39;s really going on here?"

https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="🧐" title="Face with monocle" aria-label="Emoji: Face with monocle">https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="🔥" title="Fire" aria-label="Emoji: Fire">
Who’s behind the Chinese takeover of world’s biggest pork producer? https://www.pbs.org/newshour/show/whos-behind-chinese-takeover-worlds-biggest-pork-producer">https://www.pbs.org/newshour/...
33/

"Recently, it was determined that PEDV had entered animal feed distribution channels and is now spreading in
that manner. Confirmed cases were reported last week in https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="🇨🇦" title="Flag of Canada" aria-label="Emoji: Flag of Canada">, and https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="🇺🇸" title="Flag of United States" aria-label="Emoji: Flag of United States"> feed sources were implicated."

About Porcine Epidemic Diarrhea Virus
https://www.vdl.umn.edu/sites/vdl.umn.edu/files/about-porcine-epidemic-diarrhea-virus.pdf">https://www.vdl.umn.edu/sites/vdl...
36/

August 18, 2014

"Community Health Systems, which operates 206 hospitals in 29 states suffered a data breach affecting the personal information of 4.5 million patients, mostly rural."

Chinese hackers stole info on 4.5 million U.S. hospital patients https://www.cnbc.com/2014/08/18/chinese-hackers-stole-info-on-45-million-us-hospital-patients.html">https://www.cnbc.com/2014/08/1...
37/

April 15, 2015

US discovers that the Office of Personnel Management has been hacked. China, whose military allegedly has a 100,000-strong cyber­espionage division, is implicated.

Inside the OPM hack that shocked the US government. https://www.wired.com/2016/10/inside-cyberattack-shocked-us-government/">https://www.wired.com/2016/10/i...
38/

April 5, 2016

The Panama Papers leak is publicly announced. Where does the money flowing offshore come from?

"China and Russia top the list."

What are the Panama Papers? A guide to history& #39;s biggest data leak https://www.theguardian.com/news/2016/apr/03/what-you-need-to-know-about-the-panama-papers">https://www.theguardian.com/news/2016...
42/

September 5, 2016

G20 - Hangzhou, China.

President Obama exits from belly of Air Force One on a small flight of metal stairs, and not onto the red carpet normally provided to world leaders.https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="🤔" title="Thinking face" aria-label="Emoji: Thinking face">

7 things you might have missed at China& #39;s G20 summit https://ti.me/2c368lD ">https://ti.me/2c368lD&q...
43/
44/

June 8, 2017

"Smithfield Foods Inc’s owner, China-based WH Group Ltd is scouting for U.S. and EU beef and poultry assets to buy."

Exclusive: China& #39;s WH Group targets beef and poultry assets in U.S. and Europe http://reut.rs/2rFLYZx ">https://reut.rs/2rFLYZx&q...
45/

May 4, 2017

"Since President Trump took office, key government positions remain unfilled, including a new director for the CDC."

"The consequences of a major pandemic would be world-changing."

The next global security threat isn’t what you think https://ti.me/2p18RH0 ">https://ti.me/2p18RH0&q...
46/

April 4, 2018

"A newly identified coronavirus that killed nearly 25,000 piglets in 2016-17 in China emerged from horseshoe bats near the origin of SARS-CoV."

New coronavirus emerges from bats in China, devastates young swine https://www.nih.gov/news-events/news-releases/new-coronavirus-emerges-bats-china-devastates-young-swine">https://www.nih.gov/news-even...
47/

May 8, 2018

"Meanwhile, Wan took home $759 million in salary and stock between 2013 and 2017. WH has a valuation of about $15 billion."

One of the world& #39;s highest-paid CEOs worked his way up from meat factory employee to a $291 million salary https://money.us/2Gy2q2k ">https://money.us/2Gy2q2k&q...
48/

July 2018

"Porcine epidemic diarrhea virus, a pathogen first detected in US domestic swine in 2013, has rapidly spilled over into feral swine populations."

Spillover of Swine Coronaviruses, United States - Emerging Infectious Diseases journal - CDC
https://wwwnc.cdc.gov/eid/article/24/7/17-2077_article">https://wwwnc.cdc.gov/eid/artic...
49/

May 2019

"African swine fever does not affect humans, but is deadly to hogs, approaching a 100 percent fatality rate. It has a long dormant period and is highly transmittable."

A Chinese Saga of Swine, Surveillance, and Sanctions https://www.thedailybeast.com/a-chinese-saga-of-swine-surveillance-and-sanctions">https://www.thedailybeast.com/a-chinese...
50/

May 2019

"U.S. prosecutors charged a Chinese national for his alleged involvement in the data breach at health insurance giant Anthem that resulted in the theft of 78.8 million records."

DOJ charges Chinese hacker for 2015 Anthem breach https://tcrn.ch/2vMkgvn ">https://tcrn.ch/2vMkgvn&q...
51/

July 2019

"U.S. hog farmers lost hundreds of millions of dollars in export sales to China and Mexico after President Donald Trump launched his trade wars last year."

Locked out of China, U.S. pork producers sniff out new buyers https://reut.rs/2FMGfrl ">https://reut.rs/2FMGfrl&q...
52/

August 2019

"Any Chinese with dignity should not consider buying U.S. pork," an employee said, adding that the company is now importing more pork from Brazil and Russia.https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="🤔" title="Thinking face" aria-label="Emoji: Thinking face">

https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="🧐" title="Face with monocle" aria-label="Emoji: Face with monocle">
A beef over pork: How farm goods give Beijing an edge in the trade war https://asia.nikkei.com/Spotlight/Cover-Story/A-beef-over-pork-How-farm-goods-give-Beijing-an-edge-in-the-trade-war">https://asia.nikkei.com/Spotlight...
53/

"Several American trade economists who spoke to Nikkei expressed surprise that the White House seems to have -- at best -- an incomplete understanding of how tariffs work, and that it is importers in the U.S., not exporters in China, who pay them."
54/

"Before Trump& #39;s election, many were looking forward to unlocking Asian markets through the Trans-Pacific Partnership, a 12-country trade agreement negotiated under the Obama administration. Trump withdrew from the treaty shortly after entering the White House."
55/

"Today, farmers are being cut out of the biggest market opportunity in a generation in China."

"It& #39;s really surprising to me that farmers aren& #39;t aggressively attacking the president, because this is really hurting them."
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