BEIJING -- It all began with a call by China's Ministry of Commerce for citizens to stockpile daily necessities, and before long the internet was rife with rumors of war with Taiwan. Now official media are scrambling to put out the fire, reassuring the country that there is no shortage of goods.

On Monday evening, the ministry issued a notice urging people to stock up on goods as part of a plan is to stabilize supply and prices of item such as vegetables from this winter through spring. "We recommend that you stockpile a certain amount of essentials as needed," it said.

A public jittery over the long pandemic saw the notice as something more ominous. Anxious voices on the internet asked about a possible large-scale outbreak of the coronavirus this winter or supply constraints created by an invasion of Taiwan. Some supermarkets were hit by a wave of panic buying.

State media sprung into action the next day to stomp out the rumors. The Economic Daily, a newspaper affiliated with the State Council, the country's governing administrative body, published an article asking people not to read too much into the recommendation. The Commerce Ministry was merely "asking people to be prepared in the event that a district was locked down because of an infection outbreak," it said.

"It can be said that the strategic initiative on the Taiwan question is firmly in the hands of the mainland," Hu Xijin, editor-in-chief of the Communist Party-affiliated Global Times said in an editorial. "I do not believe that the country wants to send a signal to the public at this time through a notice from the [Commerce Ministry] that people need to 'hurry up and prepare for war.'"

The Commerce Ministry was also given an opportunity to explain its position by Chinese media Tuesday evening, as it emphasized that "there were ample supplies in all regions and supplies would be fully guaranteed."

Vegetable prices are up because of flooding in the summer and pork prices have started to rise as the government tops up reserves. Widespread hoarding could lead to further price increases in daily necessities. With recovery incomes and employment stalled in China, Beijing appears to be very reluctant to do anything that unnecessarily adds to discontent among the public.