The soar in the price of pork, along with other meat, this spring may signal the beginning of inflation, according to this story from International Herald Tribune:
Few things are as essential to the Chinese as their pigs.
From pork spare ribs and mu shu pork to char siu bao – barbecued pork buns – pork is a staple of the Chinese diet. So in this Year of the Pig, an acute shortage of pork has been national news, as butchers raise prices almost daily and politicians scramble to respond.
Steep increases for pork loins and bacon are the most tangible sign that after a decade in which prices have fluctuated but not moved significantly upward, inflation is creeping back into China. In response to this pressure at home, Chinese companies are starting to raise prices for exports, removing what has been a brake on inflation in the West. [Full Text]
