Part 10/11:
The plight of China’s pork industry encapsulates the broader systemic issues facing the country. Overbuilt and overleveraged, the industry is a microcosm of an economy struggling with excess capacity, demographic decline, and a loss of consumer confidence. The government’s intervention, rather than stabilizing the sector, has arguably deepened the crisis—creating a prelude to potential instability if demand does not recover.
As the crisis unfolds, it exposes the fragility of China’s economic model—dependent on high debt, rapid infrastructure buildup, and population figures that may be overstated. The current low point in pork prices—and the overstocked, infected warehouses—serve as a stark reminder that beneath the veneer of growth, the country may be rotting from within.