Deadly in pigs but harmless to humans, why is African swine fever such a threat to China’s economy?

Hong Kong has now joined mainland China in responding to the outbreak of African swine fever (ASF), a deadly disease that threatens the pig population but is not harmful to humans. On Friday, the city’s first case was confirmed, despite the government taking precautionary measures, prompting it to order a cull of 6,000 pigs to prevent the spread of the plague-like virus.What is swine fever?ASF can be traced to Kenya, where it was found in domestic swine in 1921. According to a leading expert on…