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China is one of the world’s largest corn importers [Xinhua]
Inspection and quarantine bureaus in three Chinese provinces found MIR162, a type of insect-resistant transgenic corn, among five batches of corn imported from the US, according to the General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine (AQSIQ).
“MIR162 is not authorised by China’s agricultural department, and the three bureaus returned the batches of imports according to China’s regulations for genetically modified agricultural products,” said the AQSIQ.
The AQSIQ said it has notified US authorities of the event and that all further imports will have to be “in conformity with Chinese law and regulations”.
Local authorities in Shenzhen, one of the three provinces where the corn was found, also rejected US corn imports containing MIR162 last month.
China is one of the world’s largest corn importers. According to official data the country imported a combined total of 10.78 million tonnes of wheat, corn and rice in the first 11 months of 2012.
The US Agriculture Department said China is expected to import a record seven million tonnes of corn in the 2013/14 (Sept/Aug) marketing year.
The US has supplied nearly 94 per cent of China’s corn imports in the first 10 months of this year.
Meanwhile, China on Tuesday launched a fresh trade dispute against the US to challenge Washington’s accusations that China has dumped cheap exports on the US market, the World Trade Organisation said in a statement.
Source: Agencies
