Randerolf

When I visited China, the same question came up also. I still am not totally sure, but I do have a background in restaurant management and food safety.

My guess is that the eggs keep longer and are safer to eat when transported and kept refrigerated. Certain temperature ranges along with other factors can discourage bacterial growth. If you've got the extra cash and you get your food from long distances, refrigerate?

Edit: Just to color in the edges, I'm sure the shopping behavior of these countries are different (Frequency and amount of purchase).