Now, in the saga that you can’t trust anything anymore that you eat and drink in China, this story is very disturbing:
Traditional Chinese herbs are being contaminated with a toxic cocktail of pesticides that poses a threat to health and the environment, Greenpeace said. Its tests revealed that up to 48 of 65 samples purchased from nine pharmacies tested positive for pesticide residue, including banned substances. Some residue levels were hundreds of times higher than EU food safety standards, Greenpeace East Asia reported. The group found 51 different types of pesticide residue, and 26 of the samples contained pesticides that are banned in China. The samples included some from renowned producers such as Tongrentang, a Beijing-based pharmaceutical company founded in 1669 and the largest producer of traditional Chinese medicine. “Chinese herbs should heal, not harm people and must be pesticide free,” said Wang Jing of Greenpeace East Asia. “The current industrial agriculture system is heavily reliant on toxic chemicals at the expense of human and environmental health,” Wang said.
Dried sanqi flowers contained up to 39 kinds of pesticide, chrysanthemum up to 35 and honeysuckle flowers up to 21. Ten pesticides classified by the World Health Organization (WHO) as extremely or highly hazardous and six banned for use on Chinese herbs were found. Even leading traditional Chinese medicine makers don’t set standards or carry out tests for pesticide residue, Greenpeace claimed. Pesticide abuse in herb growing is only part of much bigger problem, which was the general failure of chemical-intensive agriculture to feed people safely while preventing environmental degradation, Greenpeace concluded, as reported in the Shanghai Daily.
(Source: FCCC Newsletter No 323, 1 July 2013)
Bad news for all of us. I do actually use TCM (Traditional Chinese Medicine) on a regular base and recently I have been drinking chrysanthemum tea. What can we still trust here?
CFL in China: the good and bad
Compact Fluorescent Light Bulbs (CFLs) can help you save money, use less energy, reduce light bulb changes, and lower greenhouse gas emissions, which lead to climate change.
In China they have become very popular and now the old type light bulbs are disappearing at a fast pace.
However we face here a serious problem, the same as for the batteries, printer and copier cartridges: there is virually nothing in place for safe recycling. Most people simply put it all in the trash with considerable dangers for the environment.
Worse, in case a CFP breaks do expect our Chinese friends (especially the maids) to do everything they should NOT do. Reason: mercury poisoning. One more item on the list of ignorance here. What is the government doing about it? Nothing.
Ever seen a collection point in supermarkets for used batteries and CFL? Obviously never I guess.
Read more:
http://www2.epa.gov/cfl
http://worldtruth.tv/understanding-the-dangers-of-fluorescent-light-bulbs/
Being green and protecting the environment is often done in the wrong way – CFLs and electric bikes are some of the (bad) examples. This is also mentioned in my book Toxic Capitalism.
EU-China and “Green Growth”
On 18 July 2013 I attented the reception at the EU Delegation on the occasion of the visit of Vice-President Tajani and Commissioner Potocnik. Their joint mission to China (Beijing) was to focus on the theme of “Green Growth”. They were accompanied by a delegation of European companies. The mission has three main objectives:
1) to promote sustainable and inclusive growth and business opportunities on both sides;
2) to help European companies and in particular SMEs to operate in China;
3) to promote EU-China business contacts and opportunities.
The program was co-organised by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT), the European Union, the EUCCC, the EU-SME Centre, the IPR/SME Helpdesk and Enterprise Europe Network, among others.
Pictured are Mr. Antonio Tajani (European Commission’s Vice-President responsible for Industry and Entrepreneurship), Mr. Janez Potočnik (European Commissioner responsible for Environment), EU Ambassador Markus Ederer, and Mr. Davide Cucino (President of the European Chamber- EUCCC).
Croatia: 28th member of EU
On 1 July 2013 I attended the reception at the EU Delegation to see my friend, the Ambassador of Croatia Prof. Dr. Ante Simonic (he has fond memories of Belgium!). Croatia is now the latest country to be part of the EU. While some put doubts on this “rushed membership” and unresolved issues in the country, I believe it is the right move. Pictured are also: EU Ambassador Markus Ederer and Lithuanian Ambassador Lina Antanaviciene as well as Mr. Song Tao, vice minister of the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Reception offered nice food and real wine from Croatia!
Exploring Minsk, capital of Belarus
In June 2013 our company organized a first exploration trip to Belarus, together with partners and Chinese companies. The goal was to review possible projects for the Chinese companies, mostly in the energy sector.
I did not join but our General Manager Ms. Sun Bin took part. She was impressed with the architecture of the city, the clean streets, the blue sky and the wide range of food for the buffet. They all stayed at the brand-new President Hotel, right next to the government buildings.
Some pictures that give you an idea…