Update | Chinese government backs further studies of genetically modified crops
Permits renewed for research on several rice and corn strains, a move hailed by some scientists as a big step towards commercialisation
The central government has renewed permits allowing scientists to grow three varieties of genetically modified rice and corn on the mainland, more than three months after they expired, suggesting the technology has the continued backing of the authorities.
Some scientists had feared that the Ministry of Agriculture might stop research on the projects. Anecdotal evidence suggests that some members of the public are wary about the safety of GM crops, amid a succession of food safety scandals on the mainland.
GM rice cannot be sold as food - the government says it has to be sure that new strains are safe - but the country already imports huge amounts of genetically modified soya beans, mainly from the United States.
The permits issued by the ministry allow two scientific research groups to produce two types of pest-resistant rice and a type of high-yield corn for five years, according to a report by Communist Party mouthpiece People's Daily.
The rice plants were developed by a team at Huazhong Agricultural University in Hubei province and the corn by the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences' Biotechnology Research Institute in Beijing.
They were originally granted bio-safety permits in 2009, which all expired on August 17 last year.