Was the "rice crisis" intentionally foisted on the people to divert attention from the ZTE scandal?

I do not think the rice crisis was used to divert attention from the ZTE scandal. It is very real. Rice climbs to record on speculation Bloomberg - Published: April 04, 2008, 00:44 Bangkok: Rice climbed to a record and corn traded near its highest ever on speculation the three per cent annual increase in global demand for cereals will outstrip supply as governments curb exports. Rice, the staple food for about three billion people, rose 2.4 per cent in Chicago trading Wednesday after doubling in the past year. Soybeans advanced for the third day and wheat gained. Crop supply has been reduced by drought in countries including Canada and Australia and a US freeze followed by excessive rain last year. "A lot of what we're seeing at the moment is not related to production, but the fact that a number of countries are implementing trade restrictions," said Darren Cooper, a senior economist at the International Grains Council in London. Protectionist measures China, India and Vietnam have ...  more