Experts call for stricter regulation of nation's booming pet economy

The sector's growth has been accompanied by problems such as the abuse and abandonment of animals, as Luan Xiang reports for Xinhua China Features.

Owning one or several pets has become an increasingly popular lifestyle choice in China, as well as a driving force in consumption.

Yet the boom in pet ownership has also produced problems - such as the abuse and abandonment of animals, and the variable quality of pet supplies - which can only be tackled by regulations that would allow people and animals to live in harmony, according to He Hairen, a legal studies researcher at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences.