China’s agriculture ministry on April 5 reported an outbreak of African swine fever in the Xinjiang region, marking the third occasion the region spotted cases since February. The outbreak occurred on a farm with 599 pigs under Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps, a state-owned economic and paramilitary entity under U.S. sanctions over human rights abuses in the region. Thirty-three pigs were infected and six died, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs said in a statement. Local authorities have culled the remaining live pigs in the affected zone and halted transports of hog or related products in and out of the area. African swine fever has plagued China since it emerged in the country in August 2018. The deadly disease forced China to cull millions of hogs and wiped out about 40 percent of the country’s pig stock, leading to widespread pork shortages and sending prices to skyrocket. The virus …