Chang W. Lee/The New York Times

What's wrong with China? Well...

"For 50 years," said Wang Wu, a professor at Shanghai Fisheries University, "we've blindly emphasized economic growth. The only pursuit has been G.D.P., and now we can see that the water turns dirty and the seafood gets dangerous. Every year, there are food safety and environmental pollution accidents." - Source: NY Times

One thing the Chinese are good at is admitting when they are wrong, or at least off track. But it's just a little late given the fact most of the water in China is now rated so low, it is not recommended for any use - much less fish farming.

Trying to Fix an Overblown Problem

China's problems are everywhere, from lead in toys, to substandard and poisonous food. They have shut down hundreds of thousands of sub-par establishments, and taken billions in produce and merchandise off shelves - but all of their efforts have not been enough.

"Chinese regulators have been announcing their findings in an effort to show that they are moving swiftly to wipe out such problems." Here's a hint China: make sure everything is OK before you let consumers buy it, instead of chasing a problem after it has already become such.

Interesting Times Call for Interesting Solutions

Perhaps the greatest insult one could receive from an Asian is 'may you live in interesting times' - and all that muck and disaster in the Chinese market certainly would qualify as 'interesting.' Even more interesting however, is their proposed punishment for those causing the problem.

"Beijing is now drafting legislation that could make the death penalty the ultimate punishment for drug companies or others whose products harm or kill large numbers of people. Last July, Zheng Xiaoyu, the former head of the State Food and Drug Administration, suffered just such a fate. He was executed for accepting bribes and failing to properly supervise the food and drug market." - Source: NY Times

So What Good Can Come of This?

China did get one thing right - the boom in farming brought their people out of poverty, as the Philippines hopes to do as well. Unfortunately, this has shown yet another gross failure in the ability of regulatory bodies to keep up with progress.