CHINA

New regulations in China regarding the import of genetically modified (gm) products have created a furore in the us trade and political circles. According to the us department of agriculture, 68 per cent of us soybean falls under the gm category. "It is critical to our soybean exports that China resolves these rules in a rapid, transparent and non-trade distorting manner," said Dwain Ford, vice president of the American Soybean Association, during a recent hearing on the issue. China has recently introduced the regulations to protect its environment from the threat of gm organisms (seeDown To Earth, Vol 10, No 6, August 15, 2001, p12).