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Sign up with Google Sign up with FacebookQ: Do you agree with the Hong Kong baby formula restriction for Mainlanders?
I don't know about you, but I feel sorry for Mainland Chinese who previously bought baby formula in bulk in Hong Kong. The fact that no-one trusts Chinese milk powder should be seen as a clear and loud message to Chinese authorities to improve their food safety record because nobody trusts Chinese-brand products anymore. It should be everyone's right to choose to buy their baby formula elsewhere since China's milk powder has killed babies in the past. The fact that people caught bringing more than 2 containers from HK back into the Mainland face 3 years imprisonment is just wrong and absolutely unacceptable. It's fine for the rich officials and elite because they can afford to fly to other countries for their baby formula but this new law is completely unfair to normal Chinese citizens.
11 years 30 weeks ago in Visa & Legalities - China
Greater Thread Resurrection! Funny video for you if you can read to the end of this, promise.
I thought I might add an interesting tidbit to this old discussion. But first, it's noteworthy how over the course of 3 years, any and all sympathy for this situation had bled away.
I think we expats are in a situation where CCP propaganda works on us too. Allow me to explain:
The news stories have been unanimous for years: HK is overrun by Mainland 'smugglers'. Local residents experienve amguish from their rampage. There is a wedge between local HK Chinese and Mainland tourists, and the resentment grows every day.
I was reading a story about how a local HK mother fears the traders will knock her daughter over because they run so fast, how rent prices skyrocket becaise of the commotion, and how authentic HK-style bars are muscled out...
Hey, what's that smell? I smell BS.
So, I had a talk with my wife, and found out that these tradets offering services are all Hong Kong people. Mainlanders get way too many travel restrictions to feasibly become couriers.
Then I thought: but if HK residents are all making a living doing this themselves, but the media blames Mainland tourists... Oh, I get it now.
CCP is not as clumsy with its propaganda as I thought. Expats be aware: Your opinion, negative as it is, may have been pre-approved by Xi himself.
As promised, a funny video:
http://v.youku.com/v_show/id_XMTQzNTIzOTY2NA==.html?from=s7.8-1.2&x
go to jail for buying baby milk powder??
ohChina:
.Yeah. It started to validate since March 1st. Up to 2 years of imprisonment and HKD 500,000 fine.
My landlord can't get baby milk from Hong Kong anymore, and now her daughter has been constipated for over 2 weeks. That's so sad.
Do you have a source for this?
It's pretty messed up. I'm trying to think of it from both a Mainlanders and a Hong Kongers point of view: I want access to the better "stuff" you have versus there's not enough to go around (cue Locust song)....there's no easy way to resolve it.
There are several girls in my office with newborns or who are pregnant. I imagine they'll all be asking me to bring some formula back from the US on my next trip. How I love dragging that heavy ass bag through the airport, subway, bus station.....ugh.
Scandinavian:
only to get it confiscated at customs when you enter China. I think you might bump into a maximum amount they will let you bring, under "for personal use" if the customs people think you are bringing it to sell, they can tax you. get them a book about the wonders of breastfeeding
elehciag:
..a little off the topic maybe !... but, talking about Chinese Customs!... Chinese Customs Inspectors are nothing but thieves !... they ransacked and stole items out of my personal household goods I sent home from China. ( like for instance, 2 large vases I bought in a gift shop at a 5 star hotel), I had no contra-band items, but they just picked and chose things they wanted ! ... my boxes were destroyed when they reached my home, they never re-packed the goods and everything was broken or destroyed ! ... or missing items! I still get mad every time I think about it ! There was nothing I could do about it! ...sorry about getting off the topic!
Don't blame Hong Kong anything. It's trying to survive. Blame those who fail to provide safe food for their people
SwedKiwi1:
I agree with 'Scandinavian's point above. For the Hong Kongers it is a matter of survival and them being able to keep a hold of at least some of the baby formula that they produce themselves.
It is inspection and quarantine laws. It is not directly connected to any risk that HK produced baby formula might pose. The same laws apply to imported food products from other sovereign territories. Other countries also apply strict controls over bring food or agricultural commodities across borders. Australia, for example, has been one of the most strict. It would seem that the Chinese authorities are upping the ante in terms of border control simply as a tit for tat political ploy in response to tighter controls of Chinese commodities entering other countries.
cooter:
Um, it's a Hong Kong enacted law, punishable by jail time in Hong Kong and fines denominated in Hong Kong dollars. It has nothing to do with what you said, and everything to do with ensuring the population of Hong Kong has access to milk powder that was otherwise being shuttled across the border into mainland China in huge huge quantities.
Scandinavian:
I wonder when we will see some mainlanders who chose to break this law to get free food in a Hong Kong prison
MissA:
Our quarantine laws are a pain in the butt, granted, but necessary.
HK is just trying to keep things from getting out of hand! ...you can't have hundreds of Mainlanders coming across the border (which they do any ways) everyday, buying up all the baby milk formula. But, also on the other hand, you have to understand the Mainlanders point of view !...yes, it is up to the authorities to ensure the milk formula is safe to begin with ! This has been a big problem in China for some years now!
same thing happens if they tried to buy milk from other countries it will prob get stopped at customs, plenty of countries have rules like this, but i rekon if ppl wasnt greedy and starting buying in bulk so they can resell this wouldnt be a big problem,im sure you will be anngry if you couldnt buy milk for your children cos lots of people came across the border and bought it in bulk lol
Yes, it is fair enough in my view and shows strength to stand up and do it!
Why should tens of thousands of China Mainlanders swamp HK just soaking up such commodities? HK people too need commodities for their own consumption without hoards of outsiders looting the system. If it were a case in HK that supply well outstripped demand, I am sure the authorities would not have taken this action. It seems that supply cannot meet the demand and the restrictions are there as a necessary control.
The Mainland government should look at this from the bigger picture. The hoards that are crossing the border to buy baby formula are sending out a clear message. The equivalent stock available in the Mainland is simply not good enough or safe enough!
Therefore, there has to some kind of relaxing related to border control for companies that want to export better product into the Mainland.
The current restrictions are draconian and unwarranted. The victims of the government politicking by means of import restrictions are, in this case, the general population. They are being denied essential commodities just so the politic elite in Beijing can save face over years of malpractice in the China food supply chain.
I long for the day where I read similar news about mainlanders hoarding diapers from neighboring countries
Greater Thread Resurrection! Funny video for you if you can read to the end of this, promise.
I thought I might add an interesting tidbit to this old discussion. But first, it's noteworthy how over the course of 3 years, any and all sympathy for this situation had bled away.
I think we expats are in a situation where CCP propaganda works on us too. Allow me to explain:
The news stories have been unanimous for years: HK is overrun by Mainland 'smugglers'. Local residents experienve amguish from their rampage. There is a wedge between local HK Chinese and Mainland tourists, and the resentment grows every day.
I was reading a story about how a local HK mother fears the traders will knock her daughter over because they run so fast, how rent prices skyrocket becaise of the commotion, and how authentic HK-style bars are muscled out...
Hey, what's that smell? I smell BS.
So, I had a talk with my wife, and found out that these tradets offering services are all Hong Kong people. Mainlanders get way too many travel restrictions to feasibly become couriers.
Then I thought: but if HK residents are all making a living doing this themselves, but the media blames Mainland tourists... Oh, I get it now.
CCP is not as clumsy with its propaganda as I thought. Expats be aware: Your opinion, negative as it is, may have been pre-approved by Xi himself.
As promised, a funny video:
http://v.youku.com/v_show/id_XMTQzNTIzOTY2NA==.html?from=s7.8-1.2&x
I know this is a necro thread.
I'll take the position that it's better for everybody if those of means can't just sidestep a problem that effects everybody. So long as the folks with the money to do so can just buy milk from HK there is less pressure from the people with the clout to push for change to push for change that would mean decent milk powder for everyone.
coineineagh:
By alleviating the problem you avert a solution. I understand your point of view. You'd feel otherwise if it was your child who had to suffer "to bring about justice in the long run".
expatlife26:
right of course like most people I am in fact a huge hypocrite.
But the worst thing you can do for any problem that "should" affect everyone is allow anyone who matters to buy their way out of it. If it wasn't feasible for any influential chinese person to get reliable milk powder from outside, then there would be a way to get reliable milk powder here.
You can make the same argument about say...NYC public schools. They're crap in an enclave of extreme wealth. Why? because anybody cool goes to private school. The decision makers then don't care what the public schools are like and make decisions which keep them crappy and their own school taxes low.
But of course, admitted hypocrite that I am I went to private prep school myself.
coineineagh:
Nobody is immune to hypocrisy. Your presumption about cause and effect fails to take into account that TIC. After chan&men square, the world expected a massive uprising that would overthrow the gov't. But they are still here. All those kids dead, and no improvement to show for it. Should more have been sacrificed to bring about change, or were people wise to spare their children from the meatgrinder? The Communist workers of China are not known for solidarity, so perhaps it would never have changed anything. It's like reasoning that 4 years of Trump will cause voters to wake up and vote wiser in the future. But will it really? This is real life, not a storybook or an equation. Sometimes injustices remain despite all odds. The middle class are already angered by the high price they must pay for imports - denying them imports will only hurt more babies.
Wait this law only applies to Mainlanders? I buy my babies milk in HK too, so I can pop in and pop out with 10 cans of baby milk powder? lol I wish