China’s New Revised Wildlife Protection Law: Will it Prevent Zoonotic Disease Outbreaks?

China's new revised Wildlife Protection Law was passed last December 2022, which aims to further expand the protection of wildlife and strengthen the prevention of zoonotic disease outbreaks.

The new law is on top of the temporary ban on the sale of wild animals that the Chinese government implemented shortly after COVID-19 broke out.

China's New Revised Wildlife Protection Law

According to a report by the state-run news outlet China Daily, the top legislature in the Chinese country has successfully passed a new law revised Wildlife Protection Law.

The new law reportedly prohibits hunting and trade of wild animals in the country - whether for food or medicinal purposes.

South China Morning Post reports that the revised law essentially bans hunting, consumption, transport, and sale of wildlife.

However, it has some exceptions for some species. The new law requires the approval of local authorities for breeding the highest level of protected species in China.

It also seeks to impose rules to monitor and control the spread of disease among wild animals. And on top of that, it also has provisions that punish illegal trading and hunting of wildlife.

The China Daily notes that the new version of the legislation addresses wildlife conservation and economic development.

Will it Prevent Zoonotic Disease Outbreaks?

But is the new legislation actually a step forward in preventing zoonotic disease outbreaks in the future?

The Hong Kong-based news outlet, South China Morning Post, says that some environmentalists point out some loopholes in the new law. They raised concerns that the revised Wildlife Protection Law might do the opposite of what it aims for.

It might instead further encourage the breeding and use of wildlife, the South China Morning Post reports, citing environmentalists.

The senior campaigner with the NGO, Environmental Investigation Agency, Avinash Basker, pointed out the flaw of the new law.

"The major problem with the law - that it legitimized the breeding and commercial use of even the highest level of protected species in China."

But Basker also acknowledged that the revised law brings a few noteworthy revisions, including the expanded banning of consuming wildlife as food.

Despite that, the senior campaigner notes that "key parts of the law remain ambiguous, and important terms undefined, leaving scope for the highest level of protected species to be exploited for potentially any purpose."

In other related news, chip sales in China plummeted by roughly 21 percent, no thanks to slowing demand for chips across the world.