Author: Owen Brown
Publication: Dow Jones Newswires
Date: Sunday, January 06, 2002

BEIJING -- New rules covering genetically modified products will take effect from March 20, China`s Ministry of Agriculture said Monday in a notice carried in state-run media, ending six months of uncertainty that has disrupted soybean trade with the U.S.

The starting date and the publication of more detailed regulations will clear up some of the confusion surrounding China`s import laws since the government introduced new laws in June, 2000.

The new regulations were approved by the agricultural ministry last July, the notice published in the Farmers` Daily said. They cover safety inspection certificates, import classification and labeling of genetically modified organisms, or GMOs.

China`s GMO labeling rule initially published in June last year introduced an additional degree of uncertainty into an already restricted market.

The rules required imports of GMOs to be accompanied by a safety certificate, but didn`t include a definition of such a certificate or how to obtain one, leaving shippers unclear about the likelihood of obtaining customs clearance.

The new rules published in detail in the Farmers` Daily explain that a new national evaluation committee will be set up to evaluate safety issues concerning GMOs. The agriculture ministry will also set up a GMO safety office to administer issuing safety certificates for genetically modified products.

The U.S. has previously demanded Beijing stop hindering cargoes at Chinese ports and clarify its GMO rules. Soybean exports from the U.S. to China are officially estimated to be worth $1 billion a year.