Cui Yongyuan, a member of Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference(CPPCC),has focused his attention on GM crops again in 2015. In an interview after theopening ceremony of the Third Session of the 12th National Committee of CPPCC on March 4^th, Cui has pointed out that unchecked growing of GM Cropsin Chinahas beena severe problem and he appealed to the government to give thepublic more rights to know and to decide. Although last year’s proposal for thequestion of planting GM crops with no restriction has not been replied yet, Cuisaid that he would continue to put forward this proposal in this year.

Asfor GM food, there isa stringent legal system in China. It stipulates thatbefore the law permits of commercial cultivation and sales, GM food couldn’t besupplied in the market. There are some relevant legal provisions in China for GM food, and the the main bone of contention is not on thefood safety.Without the strict approval procedures, the cultivation and sales of GM food are not permitted by law. When it comes to the safety of GM food,the most accurate statement was ‘There is a controversyin the scientificworld’.

The No.1 Central Document of 2015 has suggested that we should strengthen theresearch, management and popularization of GM products. No one willbe object tothe research of GM, because it is a new technology. Then, since the GM food hadthe risk of genetic drift, gene flow and genetic pollution, in order toguarantee the public’s right to know and decided, there was no doubt that the government should strength the management. Moreover, strengthening the popularization could help setting up correct cognition.

Date:2015.3.5

Source:Beijing Times