China Greenlights Imports of Two New GMO Products
June 14 2017 - 8:24AM
Dow Jones News
By Brian Spegele in Beijing
BEIJING -- China has approved imports of two new varieties of
genetically modified crops, drawing praise from U.S. industry
representatives who have sought to pry open more access to its vast
agricultural market.
The decision, announced Wednesday, will allow U.S. giants Dow
Chemical Co. and Monsanto Co. to export genetically altered corn
and soybean varieties to China, and comes after Beijing agreed to
speed up reviews of biotechnology applications as part of a trade
deal with the Trump administration last month.
China's Ministry of Agriculture said imports of the new products
could begin this week. Specifically, the ministry approved imports
of Dow AgroSciences' Enlist corn variety and Monsanto's Vistive
Gold soybean.
In addition, 14 other genetically modified crop varieties were
renewed for importing into China.
The decision "is a positive step," said Zhang Xiaoping, China
representative for the U.S. Soybean Export Council.
China's decision to allow new imports of genetically modified
crops comes as the government struggles to balance a desire to
boost farms' productivity with a deep mistrust of such crops by its
citizens.
There is a general scientific consensus in the U.S. that GMO
crops are safe. But in China, doubts remain. While the government
has said it believes genetically modified crops are safe in
principle, it has been cautious about approving new varieties for
imports, fearing a public backlash.
Unlike in the U.S., China doesn't permit planting of genetically
modified seeds for staple grains such as corn and soybeans.
Loosening those restriction is one measure that would help boost
yields at Chinese farms, say industry executives, a huge goal for
China's government as it strives to feed its growing middle
class.
State-owned China National Chemical Corp.'s recent deal to buy
Switzerland's Syngenta AG -- a major developer of genetically
modified seeds -- brought such issues to the forefront of a public
dialogue over genetically altered crops in China. Many foreign
executives hope such a deal by a major Chinese state-owned
enterprise could help open the market for more genetically modified
crops over time.
The U.S. Commerce Department said in May that eight U.S.
biotechnology applications were pending in China. DuPont Co. says
while it has yet to receive approval for an insect-control trait
for corn it is seeking in China, it was "encouraged by the fast
progress" of China's government in the latest approvals, and looked
forward to the approval of additional products.
Yang Jie contributed to this article
Write to Brian Spegele at brian.spegele@wsj.com
(END) Dow Jones Newswires
June 14, 2017 09:09 ET (13:09 GMT)
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