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Nature 422, 111-112 (13 March 2003) | doi:10.1038/422111a

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Chinese agribiotech: Against the grain

Colin Macilwain1

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China has long been a keen supporter of transgenic agriculture, and is still pouring money into developing the technology. So why are applications to market new genetically modified crops in limbo? Colin Macilwain investigates.

Last June, the China Daily — the English-language mouthpiece of the country's ruling Communist Party — published an article by Greenpeace, describing the alleged ecological risks posed by transgenic crops. It wasn't quite as though Amnesty International had been asked to write a piece on China's treatment of its political dissidents, but for those who are familiar with Beijing's official line on transgenic agriculture, it still marked a dramatic turnaround.