Frozen meat containers are already backing up to Busan in South Korea due to coronavirus-related port delays in China. If the delays continue, they will greatly dampen meat imports as they go into Chinese New Year (Feb 12 in 2021), with the EU, US, Brazil and Canada the biggest losers. That will also drive protein prices up in China, where they are already very high due to African Swine Fever (the retail pork price is 2.5x what it was in 2018, when pork made up 60% of China’s meat supply). The question is, has China’s success in controlling Covid become so important to Xi and the Party’s credibility and prestige, both domestic and international, that they can withstand a potential consumer price spike before Chinese New Year?