UPDATE - US says no evidence to support China GMO import rules
Date: 11-Feb-02
Country: USA
Author: Randy Fabi
But the Bush administration said it would continue to work with China to clarify its rules on genetically modified organisms, or GMOs. The rules are set to go into effect on March 20.
"China has not presented any science to support these regulations," said U.S. Trade Representative Robert Zoellick and Agriculture Secretary Ann Veneman in a joint statement.
"The result could be a halt in exports of (U.S.) farm products. This is an unacceptable situation."
Under the regulations, safety certificates must accompany genetically modified foods. U.S. officials have said China has not provided adequate information on how to obtain those certificates from the Beijing Ministry of Agriculture.
U.S. EXPORTS TO CONTINUE
U.S. officials in Geneva said they expected China to ensure that the new biotech import rules do not halt imports of genetically modified foods, such as soybeans.
The trade spat is an especially sensitive one for the U.S. soybean industry, since about 70 percent of U.S. soybeans are genetically modified.
China is the world's largest importer of soybeans and for the United States alone, Beijing represents an export market of $1 billion.
One official who attended talks in Beijing said Chinese authorities had assured a U.S. team there that the new food safety measures were not to impede trade.
The Bush administration said it would continue to work with China to ensure that U.S. exports were not interrupted.
U.S. farm groups want President George W. Bush to raise the issue when he visits China on February 21. The White House has not yet indicated whether GMOs will be on the agenda.
The U.S. soybean industry said China was stalling to protect its own domestic soybean market. They said Beijing would eventually back down from brinkmanship due to its dependence on soybean imports.
"We believe that China is trying to protect its farmers and encourage them to plant soybeans," said Bob Callanan, spokesman for the American Soybean Association.
Commodity traders at the Chicago Board of Trade were closely tracking the dispute, hoping a clarification would be reached soon to keep U.S. exports flowing smoothly.
