Webinar:
Companion Animals in China:
The Lawlessness of Its Dog Meat Trade
On February 18th, the Institute of Animal Law of Asia successfully held the webinar with Dr. Peter Li, the Associate Professor at the University of Houston-Downtown and China Policy Specialist at the Humane Society International! This webinar is the public event under the project "Amplifying the Interests of Animals in Kazakhstan," the project of our Managing Director within the Global Ambassador Program.
Despite the fact that dog meat consumption is not part of the mainstream food culture of China, the eating habit is driven by the country's dog meat traders who rely on a host of illegal and other activities to sustain their trading operation. The dog meat trade has turned China into a "civil war." China has no animal protection laws, it has no laws against animal cruelty. Should China sit still and wait for the enactment of animal protection laws or are there any laws that can be used to go after illegal activities involved in the trade? In this presentation, Dr. Peter Li discussed China's controversial dog meat industry and the existence of alternative legal measures that can be used to prosecute and hold the traders responsible.
Please find the resources here.
Dr. Peter J. Li is the Associate Professor at the University of Houston-Downtown and the China Policy Specialist at the Humane Society International.
Dr. Peter Li joined the University of Houston-Downtown in 2002 after receiving a doctoral degree in Comparative Politics/International Relations from Northern Arizona University. He specializes in East Asian Politics with an emphasis on China’s domestic politics, foreign relations, and animal protection policy. Dr. Li teaches the courses of Chinese Politics, U.S. Foreign Policy, Animal Rights & Politics, U.S. Government, etc. Before joining the University of Houston-Downtown, Dr. Li worked as a business analyst with a major corporation in Denver. He also worked earlier as a junior faculty at the Beijing Institute of Foreign Affairs.
Dr. Li’s research covers two major areas: international relations in East Asia and China’s animal policy and law. He writes on China’s strategic ties to North Korea and China’s animal protection subjects. He has written a number of op-ed pieces and peer-reviewed journal articles.
Animal Welfare in China: Politics, Culture and Crisis is Dr. Li’s latest publication on China’s animal welfare crisis, animal policymaking, and legal development at a time of great social and economic transformation.
As one of the few scholars who study China’s animal protection policy and laws, Dr. Li talks frequently to the media at home and around the world.