Dogs on the way to their doom (Photo by Reuters)

Who would have thought China would be so progressive as to implement an animal rights law that bans dog and cat eating? But that's what is going to happening, with any luck.

This is great news for us in Korea because it immediately casts the Korean government in a bad light. The Korean government has been backward and stagnant in dealing with animal abuse, and now its ineptitude becomes even more dramatically illustrated with the Chinese comparison.

Chinese legal experts will submit proposals in April to the National People’s Congress for the banning of the eating of dogs and cats. This will become China’s first law against animal abuse: anyone caught eating cat or dog meat could be fined as much as 5,000 yuan (£450) with up to 15 days in jail. Organisations involved in the sale of either meat could be fined between 10,000 and 500,000 yuan.

If the new regulation is passed, it will mean thousands of dog restaurants and butchers will have to shut down. Or, in the worst scenario, they may be driven underground. However, a special hotline will be implemented whereby the police can be alerted to any violations.

Dr Chang Jiwen, a member of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, which is a government think tank, has been working on the legislation for 11 years and put forward a 181-clause final draft last September. He is preparing a shortened version of the law, focusing specifically on animal torture.

Dog meat has been eaten in China for thousands of years. As in Korea, medicinal properties are traditionally attributed to the meat and it is supposed to boost energy and male virility. That last selling point--a claim made of numerous traditional medicines to boost sales--is the reason many customers of dog meat are men in their 40s and 50s. How pathetic. In China's cold North, dog stew is also popular as a way of warming the blood.

But as China has become more affluent, its middle class has been getting to know animals as pets and is against the butchering of dogs and cats. Online petitions have sprung up. Wide spread condemnation has followed government-sponsored culls of dogs to get rid of rabies in some cities. In addition, protests are regularly held by animal rights groups at markets where dog meat is sold.

It is unclear when the law will be passed. It may take years. One leader, Xin Chunying, the deputy director of the Legislative Affairs Commission of the Standing Committee of the NPC has publicly expressed doubts that new animal rights laws are needed.

Chief of wild animal protection in Jiangsu province, Xu Huiqiang, was quoted as saying to Yangtze Evening News that "Banning such custom by law is inappropriate and unable to work." Indeed, the provinces, where dog meat remains popular as a traditional and famous dish, say they will defy the law.

So, despite the good news, not much is likely to change any time soon. Meanwhile, there are thousands of dog farms all over China where dogs are no doubt languishing in utterly horrific conditions. Often the dogs are stabbed to death if not beaten to death.

Let's hope the disgusting industry is slowly brought to an end, so that Korea and its backward government can be dragged into following the example.