A dead farm animal that floated across the sea from China to an island held by Taiwan has upset Taiwanese officials. They are concerned because tests showed that the hog carried a disease that could affect the island’s pig farming industry. The pig washed up on December 31 on Kinmen, a small island held by Taiwan. Local agricultural inspectors carried out tests and found that the hog had African swine flu. The infectious disease led to the destruction of at least 600,000 pigs last year in mainland China. Taiwanese officials want China to provide more information about the hog so officials can prevent the swine flu from spreading to Taiwan. But officials in Beijing have not answered a letter about the incident from Taiwan’s Council of Agriculture. Some experts consider the lack of communication as a sign that relations between the sides have worsened.
