CHINA:Some unwanted stowaways found themselves embroiled in the heart of a simmering trade row between China and the United States recently when eight mice, some dead, some alive, were found on a flight to Beijing from Washington DC, writes Clifford Coonanin Beijing.
The US and China are currently at loggerheads over the export of harmful goods, including toys and food, from China. So when Chinese inspectors found eight furry friends on a United Airlines flight to Beijing, they wasted no time in making a point. They rushed an emergency team to the aircraft to put down rat poison and mouse traps everywhere, including in the cockpit, the state news agency Xinhua reported.
The airline had reported the stowaways to local quarantine officials on landing on Sunday afternoon. "Eight mice, dead and alive, were found at last . . . hidden in pillows," Xinhua said. The surviving rodents would be sent to labs for testing.
China is still smarting from the damage to its reputation as a manufacturing centre following a series of scandals involving dodgy food, toys with lead paint and fake drugs, claiming that it is a victim of negative reporting by foreign media and saying that foreign firms are just as guilty of such breaches.
Not surprisingly, the incident was reported in most newspapers yesterday, with experts warning of the threat posed by mice eating through aircraft electrical cables and the potentially deadly viruses the rodents could be carrying.
Aviation experts say rats and mice, even snakes and other reptiles, do make their way on to aircraft. They scurry through open doors and access panels when an aircraft is parked, or sneak on board as catering trolleys, luggage and cargo shipments are loaded.
