Us negotiations with China on GM regulation

Introduction: Bart Ruth, President of American Soybean Association (ASA) and Doug Magnus, President of American Soybean Association, are currently negotiating with Chinese government officials on new regulations for the regulation of genetically modified crops in China Ruth and Magnus will meet in Shanghai and Beijing respectively Gil Griffis, ASA's Regional Director for Asia, said, "we would like to express our concern about when the GM regulations will be implemented and the detailed rules for their implementation." He added that the purpose of the meeting was also to show ASA's support for the early implementation of the regulation in a manner that did not impede U.S soybean exports to China Long Yongtu, China's chief negotiator, said in a speech in Beijing that China is likely to set a grace period for the import of genetically modified food that is not subject to the strict regulations while making detailed adjustments to the genetically modified policy In an interview with Dow Jones, ASA's Ruth said dragon's statement was "a step in the right direction." But at the same time, Magnus said, "these vague rules make it difficult to trade We need regulations in place so that everyone knows the rules of the game " According to Magnus, 68% of American soybeans are genetically modified, and 90% of American farmers use genetically modified soybean seeds In Argentina, 93% of soybean crops are genetically modified soybeans, while in Brazil, 30% of them are genetically modified soybeans, even though they are declared illegal Magnus said this shows "why it will be difficult for China to get non GM soybeans." USDA officials have been trying to find additional details about the new GM regulations U.S Agriculture Secretary Ann Veneman sent a letter to Chinese government officials two weeks ago asking for consultation.