No GM rice can enter market: official

Beijing (CNS) -- Genetically modified (GM) rice has never been included in China's official list of legal agricultural products and is strictly banned from market circulation, according to Chen Xiwen, second chair of the state rural affairs office.

Tuesday, Chen denied the rumor that GM rice has been put into production in some regions, and reiterated that GM rice cultivation is permitted only in authorized scientific research units.

No transgenic breeds of rice or wheat, the two main staple grains of China, are officially approved for production; neither is GM corn, stressed Chen. Imported GM corn is not allowed for human consumption, but is only used in industrial products such as animal feed, he added.

Clear labels must be affixed to products that contain transgenic materials, respecting the public's fundamental rights to know and to choose.

In terms of scientific research, the government encourages and supports innovative studies on this leading subject in modern life sciences and biology.

But in the long run, products that result from significant breakthroughs in transgenic experiments are likely to be introduced to the market at some point, Chen said, but under strictly critical considerations.