Trade talks, China, pork, UK, and CRISPR
(Pixabay photo)
Trade talks have been going on between the USA and various nations.
Here is some information related to China:
May 11, 2025
Senior U.S. and Chinese officials met again on Sunday in Geneva, two sources familiar with the situation told Reuters, to resume weekend talks aimed at cooling the trade war that threatens to seriously damage the global economy.
Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng met for about eight hours on Saturday with U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer in their first face-to-face meeting since the world’s two largest economies imposed tariffs well above 100% on each other’s goods. …
U.S. President Donald Trump gave a positive reading of the talks, saying the two sides had negotiated “a total reset … in a friendly, but constructive, manner.”
“A very good meeting today with China, in Switzerland. Many things discussed, much agreed to,” Trump posted on his Truth Social platform.
Trump added: “We want to see, for the good of both China and the U.S., an opening up of China to American business. GREAT PROGRESS MADE!!!” He did not elaborate on the progress. https://www.reuters.com/world/china/us-china-talks-defuse-trade-row-resume-geneva-2025-05-11/
One interesting aspect of the trade talks is that last month China cancelled orders for 12,000 tons of pork (https://www.porkbusiness.com/ag-policy/panic-slowly-chinas-cancellation-12-000-tons-u-s-pork-sends-loud-message). And as of Thursday, two days before the current talks, “China remains absent from U.S. pork market.” Pork is a biblically-unclean meat and throughout the church age, true Christians have avoided eating it. Related to that, we put out the following video:
14:41Unclean Meat and True Christianity
Do true Christians eat unclean meat? What was the practice of Sabbatarian Christians throughout the church age? Does the Bible declare ALL “food” clean? Is unclean meat ever described as “food” in the Bible? Do the Roman Catholics eat unclean meat? If so, by what authority are they allowed to eat? How about the Protestants? Do they eat unclean meat? If so, by what authority are they allowed to eat? What about true Christians? Do they eat unclean meat? If not, by what authority do they refrain from eating? According to the Bible did ANY Christian EVER eat unclean meat? Does it really matter? What does God say? Does it matter to God if we, as Christians, honor Him, through obedience, as we would our worldly father? Isn’t it good that we do what seems right in our own eyes? Watch this video as Dr. Thiel quotes scripture and cites historical facts to shine the light of the Word of God on the truth written in the Bible.
Here is a link to our video: Unclean Meat and True Christianity.
One of the reasons I wrote about the pork aspect of USA trade is that a reader sent me a link to the following last evening:
‘Bringing Home the Bacon’: FDA Approves U.K. Biotech Company Plan to Produce Gene-Edited Pigs for U.S. Consumers
May 10, 2025
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) last week gave a U.K.-based biotech company the green light to produce gene-edited pigs for human consumption in the U.S.
PIC, formerly the Pig Improvement Company, uses CRISPR gene-editing technology to genetically engineer pigs to be resistant to porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome (PRRS), a viral infection that affects pigs produced in industrial factory farms, according to Technology Review. …
CRISPR gene editing makes it possible for scientists to manipulate an animal’s own DNA, rather than adding DNA from other species to it, as has been done with previous genetically modified organisms (GMOs).
The FDA’s approval allows the company to produce the pigs commercially, which includes allowing the pigs to reproduce and pass on their genetic modification. …
“This approval is a milestone in biotechnology, with gene-edited animals potentially offering a more sustainable and disease-resistant source of protein,” wrote Food & Drink International.
Supporters also tout the idea that gene-edited pigs will need fewer antibiotics, because they won’t get sick.
However, critics doubt the editing will work for long. They also raised concerns about the technology’s unintended effects. …
GMWatch, a GMO watchdog group that reported the FDA approval in its newsletter, wrote:
“We don’t expect the genetically engineered virus resistance — which even now is leaky — to last long in the gene-edited pigs. We saw in the COVID pandemic just how quickly viruses mutate to evade any barrier placed in their path.
“The genetically altered pigs will drive the evolution of mutations in the virus that enable it to break through the engineered virus resistance — potentially leading to the emergence of even more virulent strains of the virus.”
Swine disease researchers have also raised doubts about whether the gene editing will even work. A retired University of Minnesota professor and veterinarian told AVMA News, “There is no silver bullet when it comes to PRRS.” …
The FDA decision on PIC’s pigs is among the first for gene-edited livestock in the U.S. The process has long raised concerns, because in animals, gene editing has led to unexpected side effects, including enlarged tongues and extra vertebrae. https://americafirstreport.com/bringing-home-the-bacon-fda-approves-u-k-biotech-company-plan-to-produce-gene-edited-pigs-for-u-s-consumers/
So, notice that the UK got permission to send GMO pork to the USA. The USA wants Europe to take GMO crops, and it seems like agreeing to take UK GMO-pork is a way to push Europe to take GMO-items from the USA.
CRISPR is not without risks ()
As long time readers of this COGwriter Church of God News page are aware, I have long had concerns about CRISPR. E.g. see ‘New CRISPR-based system targets amplified antibiotic-resistant genes’ and China has CRISPR humans, whereas USA approves GMO salmon–this is driven by greed, not data!
Anyway, while pork is biblically-inappropriate to eat, gene-edited animals in the food supply is evil.
One item that has been produced is called ‘Piggy Sooy,’ which is the combination of soy bean and pig genes.
Related to that, the Continuing Church of God put out the following sermon on its ContinuingCOG channel:
Evil is Affecting the Food Supply
God gave humans food and said what He made was good. What about unclean animals? What about genetically-modified organisms (GMOs)? What about ‘bioengineered foods’? What about lab meat? What about human-cloned salami? What about ‘Piggy Sooy’? Are Christians supposed to eat what is good according to Isaiah 55:2? What should we eat? What should Christians avoid eating? Dr. Thiel addresses these matters and more.
Here is a link to the following: Evil is Affecting the Food Supply.
Some items of possibly related interest may include the following:
Christian Health Matters Should Christians be concerned about their health? Does the Bible give any food and health guidelines? Here are links to two related sermons: Let’s Talk About Food, Evil is Affecting the Food Supply, and Let’s Talk About Health.
GMOs and Bible Prophecy What are GMOs? Since they were not in the food supply until 1994, how could they possibly relate to Bible prophecy? Do GMOs put the USA and others at risk? Here are some related videos: GMO Risks and the Bible and GMOs, Lab meat, Hydrogenation: Safe or Dangerous?
Chimeras: Has Science Crossed the Line? What are chimeras? Has science crossed the line? Does the Bible give any clues? A video of related interest is Half human, half pig: What’s the difference? and Human-Monkey Embryos and Death.
The New Testament Church, History, and Unclean Meats Are foods considered to have been unclean in the Old Testament considered to be food in the New Testament? This article discusses this from the perspective of the New Testament. It also has a list of clean and unclean animals. It also answers the question, is pork healthy or is pork dangerous? There is also a sermon-length video on this: Christians and Unclean Meats; four short videos are also available: Did Jesus declare all animal flesh food?, Should Christians Eat Insects?, COVID, Pandemics, and Unclean Meat, and Unclean Meat and True Christianity.
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