Citizens buy vegetables at a market in Nanjing, east China's Jiangsu Province. Photo:Xinhua

An official statement released by the Ministry of Commerce (MOFCOM) late Monday suggesting families store an appropriate amount of essential daily necessities for "emergency need" prompted speculations on Tuesday over food supply issues, new COVID-19 outbreaks as well as the Taiwan question. 

As speculations quickly spread through social media platforms, official media outlets and experts urged the public to not read too much into or wrongly interpret the sentence taken out of a statement on efforts to ensure stable food supplies and prices.

In the statement released on Monday, the MOFCOM said that it has issued an official notice about ensuring stable supplies and prices of vegetable and daily necessities during the upcoming winter and spring seasons.

At the end of the brief statement, the MOFCOM said that it "encourages families to store a certain amount of daily necessities in accordance to their needs to meet daily and emergency needs."

That sentence quickly made headlines on Tuesday morning, especially on social media platforms, with articles linking the encouragement to several hot topics, including reports of rising food prices, new COVID-19 outbreaks and rising tension across the Taiwan Straits. 

Related topics topped search trends on Sina Weibo on Tuesday. Separately, news reports of residents in Jinan, East China's Shandong Province receiving emergency packages from officials also drew widespread attention on Tuesday, though authorities later clarified that the move was just part of a regular public service initiative for residents.

The announcement from the MOFCOM came amid rising tensions across the Taiwan Straits, rising vegetable prices, and power shortages as winter approaches. Nevertheless, the announcement did not spark any panic buying that has been seen overseas during the onslaught of the COVID-19 pandemic.

In an article on Tuesday, the official Economic Daily newspaper said that while netizens' close attention is "understandable," there is no need for over interpretation and anxiety.  

The article, which drew over 87.8 million views on Sina Weibo as of press time on Tuesday, noted that the ministry's suggestion was addressing recent COVID-19 flare-ups in the country, reminding families to be prepared should they are required to undergo emergency quarantine. 

In fact, the announcement targeted virus prevention and control measures, as the recent virus flare-ups in China lead to temporary shutdowns of some residential quarters, which may cause inconvenience to affected households, the Economic Daily said.

In the long run, the newspaper said, the release helps raise awareness among the public of emergency management and increase the stock of necessary household emergency goods, as a necessary supplement to the national emergency system.

Market experts also noted that the ministry's announcement is aimed at strengthening Chinese residents' ability to resist possible disruptions from unexpected seasonal factors, including the COVID-19 and harsh weather conditions.

China's food prices remain stable as the consumer price index, the main gauge of inflation, rose 0.7 percent in September year-over-year, smaller growth compared with August, data from the National Bureau of Statistics showed.

Global Times