China's Malfeasance Know No Boundaries

If they're not destroying the environment one toxic spill at a time, or shipping food stuffs for pets or human consumption that are laced with toxic chemicals, they're shipping endangered species for human consumption.

According to the local media, the cargo included 31 pangolins, 44 leatherback turtles, 2,720 monitor lizards, 1,130 Brazilian turtles as well as the bear paws. Photographs showed other animals, including an Asian giant turtle.

All of these south-east Asian species are critically endangered, banned from international trade and yet openly sold in restaurants and markets in China's southern province of Guangdong, which is famous for its exotic cuisine.

The accidental discovery highlights the negative impact that the growing power of Chinese consumption is having on global conservation efforts.

The rapacious consumption of resources by China isn't confined to food. Energy demands are pushing the price of oil ever higher, and China isn't afraid to make deals with the scum of the earth to obtain oil. That means making deals with the likes of the Sudanese government and Nigeria and Iran. Cheap oil and the need to protect their deals means that the Chinese will prevent UN action against those regimes on human rights grounds, such as the Darfur genocide. For those who love to tout no blood for oil, you'd be hard pressed to find a translation into Chinese. They have no problem with that trade.