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China: Crops / Food

Ongoing Research, Regulations In Development

Gene editing regulations for plants not yet announced, but expected to be regulated as conventionally bred plants.

China has not announced the regulatory status of plant gene editing or of gene-edited food, but extensive gene editing research is being done. The government has spent close to $10 billion funding agricultural research projects over the past decade (versus less than $4 billion in the US) and has published more research papers on CRISPR than any other country. No gene-edited crops or food have been commercialized.

China strictly limits the import and domestic production of genetically modified crops, but many plant researchers around the world believe China will follow the United States by regulating most gene editing techniques as conventional plants.

China strictly regulates genetically modified crops subject to the regulations put forth by the Ministry of Agriculture in 2001, called Regulations on Administration of Agricultural Genetically Modified Organisms Safety. An organization comprised of several departments from different ministries is responsible for the review, regulation and inspection of novel crops. The State Council supervises agricultural safety. China regulates the process used to create genetically modified seeds rather than the characteristics of the final products, as is the case in the US and many other countries, and includes products derived from GMOs under GM legislation.

In 2017, state-owned ChemChina bought Switzerland-based Syngenta, one of the world’s four largest agribusinesses and a company deeply involved in gene-editing research, for $43 billion, the most China has ever spent acquiring a foreign company.

Products/Research

  • Heat-tolerant tomato: China Agricultural University used CRISPR to develop tomatoes that can withstand more heat stress than conventional varieties.
  • High-yield rice: The Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) developed rice using CRISPR that produces 25-31% more than traditional varieties.
  • Fragrant rice: Researchers produced 10 varieties of rice that smell like jasmine.
  • High fiber rice: CAS developed rice with high fiber content.
  • High-yield maize: CAS developed maize that produces more than conventional varieties using TALENs and CRISPR.
  • High-yield wheat: CAS developed wheat that produces more than conventional varieties.
  • Fungus-resistant wheat: CAS developed wheat resistant to a common fungus.
  • Herbicide-resistant corn: CAS developed wheat resistant to certain herbicides.
  • Grape research: Northwest A&F University studied how to use CRISPR effectively in grape genomes.
  • Kiwifruit research: CAS studied how to optimize CRISPR function for gene editing in kiwifruit.
  • Poplar tree: Southwest University used CRISPR for the first time in a tree species to create albino poplar trees.
  • High-yield soybean: CAS created a soybean variety that can grow in warmer climates and produce higher yields.

Regulatory Timeline

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

Click on a country (eg. Brazil, US) or region (eg. European Union) below to find which agriculture products and processes are approved or in development and their regulatory status. The regulations on genetically engineered crops and animals are emerging out of the regulatory landscape developed for transgenic GMOs.

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Agriculture Gene Editing Index
Compare Regulatory Restrictions Country-to-Country

Gene editing regulations worldwide are evolving. The Gene Editing Index ratings below represent the current status of gene editing regulations and will be updated as new regulations are passed.

Colors and ratings guide
 

Regulation Status Rating
Determined: No Unique Regulations* 10
Lightly Regulated 8
Proposed: No Unique Regulations† 6
Ongoing Research, Regulations In Development 5
Highly Regulated 4
Mostly Prohibited 2
Limited Research, No Clear Regulations 1
Prohibited 0
Lightly Regulated: Some or all types of gene editing are regulated more strictly than conventional agriculture, but not as strictly as transgenic GMOs.
*Determined: No Unique Regulations: Gene-edited crops that do not incorporate DNA from another species are regulated as conventional plants with no additional restrictions.

†Proposed: No Unique Regulations: Decrees under consideration for gene-edited crops that do not incorporate DNA from another species would no require unique regulations beyond current what is imposed on conventional breeding.

Crops/Food:
Gene editing of plants and food products. Research and development has mostly focused on disease resistance, drought resistance, and increasing yield, but more recent advances have produced low trans-fat oils and high-fiber grains.
Animals:
Gene editing of animals, not including animal research for human drugs and therapies. Fewer gene edited animals have been developed than gene edited crops, but scientists have developed hornless and heat-tolerant cattle and fast-growing tilapia may soon be the first gene edited animal to be consumed.

Rating by Country / Region
Click each column header and arrow to sort the countries / regions

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Country / Region Food / Crops Animals Ag Rating
Japan 8 8 8
Brazil 10 10 10
Canada 8 8 8
Russia 5 5 5
Argentina 10 10 10
Israel 10 5 7.5
Australia 8 8 8
China 5 5 5
US 10 4 7
Chile 10 1 5.5
New Zealand 4 4 4
Ukraine 1 1 1
Central America 6 6 6
Paraguay 10 10 10
Uruguay 6 6 6
India 6 6 6
UK 2 2 2
Mexico 1 1 1
EU 2 2 2
Colombia 10 1 5.5

Global gene editing regulatory landscape

The regulations on genetically engineered crops and animals are emerging out of the regulatory landscape developed for transgenic GMOs. Regulations across 34 countries where transgenic or gene edited crops and animals are commercially allowed (as of 12/19) are guided in part by two factors:
 
 
Whether the country has ratified the international agreement that took effect in 2003 that aims to ensure the safe handling, transport and use of living modified organisms (LMOs) resulting from biotechnology that may impact biological diversity, also taking into account potential risks to human health. It entered into force for those nations that signed it in 2003. It applies the ‘precautionary approach as contained in the Rio Declaration on Environment and Development. The US, Canada, Australia and Chile and the Russian Federation have not signed the treaty.
 
 
Whether regulations are based on the genetic process used to create the trait (conventional, mutagenesis, transgenesis, gene editing, etc.) or the final product.Transgenic crops and animals (aka GMOs) are product regulated in many countries including the US and Canada, while the EU, India, China and others regulate based on how the product is made. There is almost an equal number of countries with product- and process-based regulations. It’s not clear how much this distinction matters. It’s somewhat true that countries with product-based regulation have more crops approved and the approval process is more streamlined, but there are contradictions. For example, Brazil and Argentina have emerged as GMO super powers using different regulatory concepts, while there is no GMO commercial cultivation in Japan, North Korea, and the Russian Federation, which employ product-based regulations. How this will effect gene editing regulations is also unclear. For example, Japan, which has no commercialized GMOs, is emerging as a leader in the introduction of gene edited crops.
Agricultural Landscape
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Gene editing is a set of techniques that can be used to precisely modify the DNA of almost any organism. It is being used for applications in human health, gene drives and agriculture. There are numerous gene-editing tools besides CRISPR-Cas 9, which gets most of the attention because it is a comparatively easy tool to use.

Gene editing does not usually involve transgenics – moving ‘foreign’ genes between species. It also refers to a specific technique in contrast to the general term GMO, which is scientifically ambiguous, as genetic modification is a process not a product. Most gene editing involves creating new products by deleting very small segments of DNA (sometimes in agriculture called Site-Directed Nuclease 1 or SDN-1 techniques), which can silence a gene or change a gene’s activity. Countries are evaluating whether or not to regulate this type of gene editing, since it is so similar to natural mutations. The GLP’s Gene Editing Index ratings reflect the regulatory status of SDN-1 techniques, which are the most liberally regulated and will generate most products in the near term.

To develop different products, gene editing can change larger segments of DNA or add DNA from other species (a form of transgenics sometimes in agriculture called SDN-2 or SDN-3 techniques). While many countries are not regulating or lightly regulating SDN-1 techniques, most are moving toward tightly regulating or even restricting SDN-2 and SDN-3.

For more background on the various gene editing SDN techniques, read background articles here and here.

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