China Tells Its Citizens to Prep, Stock Up on Necessities In Case of Emergency

Shelves in markets in China are reportedly empty.

Why?

Because the Chinese government is urging its citizens to stock up on daily necessities before winter.

After the ministry issued the guidance, Chinese citizens began flocking to the markets.

Now, the shelves are bare and there appears to be a panic as winter draws closer.

But this raises the question:

Why did China issue the statement?

What do they believe is coming?

What don’t we know about?

https://twitter.com/ChuckCallesto/status/1456084181545635844

China gave an urgent directive to its citizens to begin stocking up on necessities, suggesting vitamins, noodles, biscuits, radios & flashlights. People rushed to the stores expecting an impending emergency. Many say they’re worried about Taiwan.
Something is up..

— 🇺🇸ProudArmyBrat (@leslibless) November 4, 2021

A seemingly innocuous government recommendation for Chinese people to store necessities for an emergency quickly sparked scattered instances of panic-buying and online speculation: Is China going to war with Taiwan?https://t.co/NNKs3w8McP

— NEWSMAX (@NEWSMAX) November 4, 2021

Some people would claim that this is an innocent warning to help its citizens.

However, the communist Chinese government is notorious for keeping its motives secret.

Reuters was one of the major international news organizations to break the story:

The Chinese government has told families to keep daily necessities in stock in case of emergencies, after COVID-19 outbreaks and unusually heavy rains that caused a surge in vegetable prices raised concerns about supply shortages.

The commerce ministry directive late on Monday stirred some concern on domestic social media that it may have been triggered by heightened tensions with Taiwan, while some said people were rushing to stock up on rice, cooking oil and salt.

“As soon as this news came out, all the old people near me went crazy panic buying in the supermarket,” wrote one user on China’s Twitter-like Weibo.

Local media has also recently published lists of recommended goods to store at home including biscuits and instant noodles, vitamins, radios and flashlights.

There have been fears that China may be planning to go to war over Taiwan.

Could this memo be related to that?

Or is China genuinely just trying to look after its citizens?

ALERT: People in China have been told to stockpile food, daily necessities, prompting panic buying, amid surging vegetable prices linked to recent extreme weather, supply shortage fears, and an ongoing Covid outbreak. – REPORThttps://t.co/h7UOzUMVrN

— Insider Paper (@TheInsiderPaper) November 2, 2021

China urges local authorities to ensure supplies of necessities as winter approaches https://t.co/ufEStUXhZ8 pic.twitter.com/JtsXTati4m

— The Hill (@thehill) November 2, 2021

China urged families and local governments to stock up on daily necessities to prepare for Covid lockdowns as winter approaches. The country has enforced stringent restrictions as part of its “zero Covid” policy.https://t.co/yviGcrxgqz

— The New York Times (@nytimes) November 2, 2021

More and more people are worried about the Chinese government’s intentions.

While the panic in China has calmed down, the international community is watching with close eyes.

Bloomberg has more details:

A statement from China’s government urging local authorities to ensure there was adequate food supply during the winter and encouraging people to stock up on some essentials prompted concerned talk online, with people linking it with the widening coronavirus outbreak, a forecast cold snap, or even rising tensions with Taiwan.

The Ministry of Commerce urged local authorities to stabilize prices and ensure supplies of daily necessities including vegetables this winter and next spring, according to a statement Monday evening. Chinese households were also encouraged to stock up on a certain amount of daily necessities in preparation for the winter months or emergencies.

The notice was similar to one released in September before the week of holidays at the start of October, which told local governments to ensure food supplies and stable prices during the break. Even so, this new appeal sparked speculation that it’s linked to a widening coronavirus outbreak which has prompted a new round of lockdowns and travel restrictions after it spread to over half the mainland’s provinces.

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The topic “Ministry of Commerce encourages households to stockpile daily necessities as needed” had over 17 million views on Weibo, China’s Twitter-like social platform, and more than 5,000 people had commented on it as of 1:45 p.m. Tuesday, Beijing time. By 6:13 p.m. views had risen to more than 43 million although the number of comments had fallen to 4,809.

A number of the comments speculated the request to stock food must be linked to plans for an attack on Taiwan. One of the comments mentioning Taiwan seen earlier in the day was no longer able to be viewed in the evening.

So what do you think?

Is the Chinese government just looking out for the best interests of its people?

Or do they know that something bad is coming?

Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below!