China's Minister of Agriculture Du Qinglin joined other senior
government figures in tucking into a "chicken lunch" under the
media spotlight Monday to spread the message that eating properly
cooked and prepared chicken was safe.?
Vice Minister of Health Gao Qiang, a self-proclaimed "animal
protector", had his first taste of chicken in 30 years at the
health ministry's canteen.
The central and local governments have intensified quality
supervision and quarantine of live poultry and suspended imports of
birds and poultry from affected areas, but many people have decided
to give up eating chicken and eggs.
"It is safe to have chicken because all the chicken here is from
areas without bird flu," Du Qinglin, Minister of Agriculture, said
to reporters and his colleagues while ordering dishes like chicken
braised in brown sauce.
"Just relax and help yourselves," said Du at the canteen in the
Ministry of
Agriculture.
Monday's displays were the latest move by Chinese authorities to
allay public fears of avian influenza by hundreds of officials,
including ministers, provincial governors, mayors and grassroots
cadres, in Beijing, Shanghai, Guangdong, Zhejiang and Hainan.
Experts said the frequent public chicken dinners indicated that
the government had become increasingly open in crisis management by
taking practical steps rather than issuing administrative
documents.
"Such acts imply Chinese officials have started to shift from
traditional propaganda to Western-style political communications
skills to handle crises," said Professor Li Xiguang, director of
the International Communications Research Center at Tsinghua
University.
"The moves will help comfort common people about the bird flu
outbreak," Li said.
More than 1.21 million chickens, ducks and geese have been
slaughtered since Jan. 27 when the mainland confirmed its first
case of bird flu in southwest Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region,
which borders Vietnam.
China is among the world's largest poultry producers, putting
out 40 percent of the world's eggs while its annual chicken output
tops 12 million tons, figures from the Chinese Ministry of
Agriculture show.
"The governments and officials should act immediately if the
avian flu has caused great panic among the public," said Professor
Zhou Qiren, an economist with the China Economy Research Center of
Peking University.
"The effect of propaganda in the media can't compare with the
examples set by senior officials," Zhou said.
The state media also focused on the "chicken meals", saying such
moves should continue as they gave the government a people-friendly
face.
The lead by officials has made some achievements in easing
fears, at least at a little restaurant in Beijing near the Ministry
of Agriculture.
"We have no reason to fear eating chicken if Minister Du Qinglin
himself eats it," said a customer who did not want to be named
while ordering chicken for his supper.
Jia Youling, general director of stock breeding with the
Ministry of Agriculture, agreed.
"It is unnecessary to abandon chicken cuisine just because parts
of the country report bird flu cases," Jia said.
Confirmed or suspected bird flu cases have been reported in
Guangxi Zhuang and Xinjiang Uygur autonomous regions, Guangdong,
Hubei, Anhui, Zhejiang, Yunnan, Hunan, Henan, Jiangxi and Gansu
provinces, and Shanghai and Tianjin municipalities.
(Xinhua News Agency February 10, 2004)