Chinese officials have issued a stern warning to those spreading rumors that China is sending marinated human flesh to Africa. Over the last one week, China has been on the radar following claims that the country is marinating flesh from dead humans and stocking it in cans for export to Africa.
On Tuesday last week, Chinese ambassador to Zambia, Yang Youming, issued a stern warning against the people behind these allegations, saying claims that China is sending human flesh to Africa are malicious and aimed at destroying the long-standing partnership between China and Africa.
“This is completely a malicious slandering vilification, which is absolutely unacceptable to us,” said Yang Youming.
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Origin of the Rumor
According to Xinhua News Agency, rumors that China has been selling marinated human flesh to Africans originated from Zambia after a Zambian newspaper (Kachepa) quoted an unidentified woman warning Zambians to stop buying Chinese corned beef.
#China dismisses “feeding #Africa with human flesh” reports in Zambian media https://t.co/QnLpqQeBuZ pic.twitter.com/3snjonzeL1
— People’s Daily,China (@PDChina) May 19, 2016
It’s alleged that the woman, who reportedly lives in China, accused Chinese meat processing companies of collecting dead human bodies, marinating them, stocking them in cans labeled Corn Beef and sending them to Africa.
Zambia’s Deputy Defense Minister Christopher Mulenga is reported to have pledged for government’s intervention in the matter.
The government of Zambia regrets the incident in view of the warm relations that exist between Zambia and China. We shall make sure that relevant government authorities will take up the investigations and give a comprehensive statement,” the Minister was quoted by the Telegraph.
Are the Rumors True?
As China refutes claims that it is selling human flesh to Africans, reports of people who claim to have worked in Chinese meat processing firms allege that the practice had begun because China had run out of space to bury their dead.
Other reports claim that Chinese meat manufacturers reserve their good, nonhuman meat for more powerful countries while they stock marinated human flesh for the African market in attempts to sustain the high demand.
However, www.snopes.com – a hoax-bursting website- claims that photos doing rounds on social media depicting a Chinese meat factory processing human flesh are from a 2012 marketing stunt for the video-game Resident Evil 6.
