China’s Commitment To GM Crops Is Challenged On Food Safety And Patriotic Grounds

Growing public sentiment in China opposing genetically modified crops – often seen not only as a scary food safety issue but as a strategy by the U.S. to weaken China and control the world’s food supply – has created a predicament for China’s government. The Chinese food ministry -- and its agri-science community -- has long been committed to the use of genetically modified crops, and to the development of its own GM varieties. To that end, it has spent a lot of research money on GM technology, hoping to ensure self-sufficiency in food by increasing crop yields on limited farmland. More than 70 percent of China’s cotton is genetically modified. The imported (often from the U.S.) soybeans it overwhelmingly uses are GM. Five years ago the government approved safety certificates for GM varieties of rice and maize, but further approvals for commercial growing are delayed and certificates could expire – thanks to anti-GM pressure.