In April 2023, China’s Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs (MOA) issued its first safety certificate for plant gene editing for a high oleic acid soybean by Shandong BellaGen Biotechnology Co. BellaGen is the first company in China to initiate industrial-scale plant gene editing. Approval is expected soon on a wheat variety resistant to a fungal disease called powdery mildew and for the general development of gene-edited soybeans.
The research and approval process for the regulation of both transgenic (GMO) and gene-edited crops is cautious, opaque and not transparent. Long-term food security concerns drive its plant biotechnology policy. China currently disallows the planting of GM food and feed crops, relying significantly on the import of transgenic corn, soybean and other oil crops; 85% of the soybeans it imports are genetically modified, used mostly for animal consumption.
In January 2022, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs (MARA) announced that it was loosening regulations on both GMOS and gene edited crops. It revised a set of regulations for seed-makers to seek approval for GM crops. For years, the absence of such regulations has hindered the commercialization process.
Also in January 2022, following consultations with biotechnology experts, the announced guidelines for approving gene edited plants on a case-by-case basis. They stipulate that once gene-edited plants have completed pilot trails, a production certificate can be applied for. This would skip a lengthy field trial, which is still required for the approval of transgenic genetically modified plants. The approval for CRISPR crops is expected to take between one to two years instead of up to six years for GM crops.
China’s ambiguous new rules are more conservative than those in the United States — which does not regulate gene-edited crops that incorporate changes similar to those that could occur naturally — but are more lenient than the rigid European Union stance, now under review, which treats all gene-edited crops as genetically modified (GMO) organisms.
Chinese overall guidelines for GE crops reflect the new Biosecurity law that came into effect in 2021 with the apparent goal of increasing China’s cultivation and commercialization of transgenic and gene edited crops, and increasing spending on GM animal research. The government has spent close to $10 billion funding agricultural research projects over the past decade (versus less than $4 billion in the US). Over the past five years, scientists in China have published more papers concerning crop genomics and plant gene-editing technologies than their peers in any other country.
Gene Editing Products (partial list as products are in development)
- Increased healthy fat oleic acid soybean, 2023: Developed by the private company Shandong Shunfeng Biotechnology Co., Ltd, China approved its first-ever gene edited crop.
- Powdery mildew resistant Maize, 2022: Researchers at Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology and the Institute of Microbiology from the Chinese Academy of Science developed a maize variant that can maintain powdery mildew resistance with ‘’growth and yield levels similar to standard wheat varieties.’’
- Rice yield increased and cold tolerance, 2020: Researchers in China at the Wuhan university have been able to demonstrate increased yield and cold tolerance in rice through the editing of three genes.
- Disease resistance rice, 2019: Chinese researchers at the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences have focused on improving disease resistance in rice.
- Blight resistant rice, 2019: global collaboration of researchers have focused on using genome editing to improve rice’s resistance to bacterial blight diseases, which reduces rice yields throughout Asia and Africa
- Heat-tolerant tomato, 2019: China Agricultural University used CRISPR to develop tomatoes that can withstand more heat stress than conventional varieties.
- High-yield soybean, 2019: CAS created a soybean variety that can grow in warmer climates and produce higher yields.
- High-yield rice, 2018: The Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) developed rice using CRISPR that produces 25-31% more than traditional varieties.
- High fiber rice, 2017: CAS developed rice with high fiber content.
- High-yield wheat, 2013: CAS developed wheat that produces more than conventional varieties.
Regulatory Timeline
2022: Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs in China approved new guidelines regulating gene edited plants.
2021: Biosecurity Law of China comes into effect
2020: China committed to a number of reforms to its agricultural biotechnology policies under the U.S.-China Economic and Trade Agreement (“Phase One Agreement”). Its Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs (MARA) issued biosafety certificates for the import of two new events along with six renewals.
2018: National Center for Biotechnology Development unveiled the “Thirteenth Five-Year Plan for Biotechnology Development,” expressly categorizing gene-editing technologies as a pivotal area for national development.
2016: Chinese government issues 5-year plan that includes strong support of agricultural gene editing research.
2001: Regulations on Administration of Agricultural Genetically Modified Organisms Safety published, which heavily regulates the import and domestic production of genetically modified crops.
NGO Reaction
None
Additional Resources
- Agriculture GMOs Safety Assessment Administrative Measures
- Notice of the National Crop Variety Approval Committee on Printing and Distributing the Approval Standards for National Genetically Modified Soybean and Corn Varieties
- Biosecurity Law of the P.R.C.
- GM approval database – China
- BCH – Biosafety Clearing-House – China
Updated: 10/18/2023
