This conspiracy theory (or movie script) is writing itself. The timing so close to COVID 19 is interesting.
From https://www.medicinenet.com/swine_flu/article.htm: (Clickers beware, this site is full of ads and its awkward grammer has AI feels)
“However, in August 2018, China first reported a new swine flu outbreak in pigs in Liaoning province. The pig flu strain is known as African swine flu (although some researchers think it originated in Russia), almost 100% fatal to pigs, was the cause. This strain is highly infectious, survives in heat and cold environments, and can remain viable and infectious on surfaces for days to weeks. Currently, there is no effective vaccine or drug to stop its spread, so the disease is treated by the immediate slaughter of infected pigs. China has about 50% of the world’s pig population and relies on pork to provide a large amount of protein for the Chinese population. Culling the pig population in China may result in China needing to import pork which would likely be a large economic blow to China’s economy. This virus has not yet been detected in the U.S.”
From https://www.medicinenet.com/swine_flu/article.htm:
“The 2018 spread of African swine fever (ASF) to China had reverberations in the global pork market. ASF—a virus often fatal to swine—caused an estimated loss of 27.9 million metric tons in China’s pork output from late 2018 to early 2021 and led to a doubling of China’s domestic pork prices. These high prices attracted a surge of pork exports from four major suppliers—the European Union (EU), United States, Brazil, and Canada.”
WearyTravelers.net 