Genetic modification will make slow headway in China
Subject China's biotechnology sector. Significance President Xi Jinping has called for China to "occupy the commanding heights of transgenic technology” and not yield to “big foreign firms”. China is now the world’s top public spender on biotechnology research and largest importer of genetically modified (GM) crops. However, GM technology faces fierce opposition, most recently manifested in the Heilongjiang provincial government’s December 2016 ban on GM crops and a domestic campaign against state-owned ChemChina’s planned purchase of Swiss pesticide and seed producer Syngenta. Impacts Inconsistent policy and diverging interests among policymakers hold back China's biotechnology sector, despite a strong wish to promote it. Private firms and the government seek foreign cooperation and overseas development, but foreign firms will be wary of technology capture. Imports of new GM products will increase only gradually, to protect the local industry from competition and mollify safety concerns. Commercial cultivation of pest-resistant GM corn is a long-term goal but is unlikely to happen within three or four years.