China approves two new genetically modified US crops for import
- Decision by agriculture ministry to allow GM soybean and papaya to be sold could pave the way for further agriculture imports
- China has committed to buy more US farm produce under phase one trade deal
China approved two new genetically modified crops for import on Monday in a move that could boost agricultural purchases from the United States, the agriculture ministry said.
The move comes after Beijing and Washington agreed to sign a phase one trade deal earlier this month.
The United States has demanded that China change its GM crop import application process to make it more transparent, timely and based on scientific methods.
China has also agreed to import more farm goods from the US under the initial deal.
The ministry also renewed permits for 10 other GM crops.
The two new GM crops approved were Corteva AgriScience’s DAS-81419-2 soybean and 55-1 papaya, jointly developed by the United States Department of Agriculture and Hawaii University.