Marriage of interests the meat of the matter

YURUN FOOD GROUP, a Hong Kong-listed meat product manufacturer that has received government subsidies of more than HK$4 billion ($510 million) from 2005 to 2015, more than 46 percent of the company's total profits over that period, is struggling to restart some 20 projects in Northeast China's Liaoning province. Beijing Youth Daily commented on Monday:

The stalled operation of Yurun's projects in Liaoning indicates that much of the subsidies it received over a decade could have gone down the drain.

The dilemma facing Yurun's plants in Heishan county is a case in point. The meat supplier was supposed to invest 300 million yuan ($45 million) in a local meat production project, which has stalled, while the subsidies offered by the government of Heishan could be more than 100 million yuan, according to their agreement. The failed operation means the generous subsidies stand little chance of being retrieved.