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China Rejects 545,000 Tons of US Genetically Modified Corn
hawkinspeter writes "The BBC is reporting that China has rejected 545,000 tons of U.S. corn that was found to contain an unapproved genetically modified strain. Although China doesn't have a problem per se with GM crops (they've been importing GM soybeans since 1997) — but their product safety agency found MIR162 in 12 batches of corn. 'The safety evaluation process [for MIR162] has not been completed and no imports are allowed at the moment before the safety certificate is issued,' said Nui Din, China's vice agricultural minister. The Chinese are now calling on U.S. authorities to tighten their controls to prevent unapproved strains from being sent to China after the first batch of corn was rejected in November due to MIR162."
"The safety evaluation process [for MIR162] has not been completed and no imports are allowed at the moment before the safety certificate is issued," said China's vice agricultural minister, Niu Dun.
The Ministry of Agriculture has recently launched a publicity campaign to allay concerns over GM foods and says the criticisms are unfounded.
Seems pretty fair to me. sloppy testing on the US end is all.
China has a "Product safety agency"? Really? It must only apply to imports, not exports.
Are YOU using the TOOL, or is the TOOL using YOU? Think about it!
Given that the United States just arrested three Chinese nationals over alleged theft of GM corn, it appears that they do not have an issue with GMOs.
In fact, I suspect that this shipment refusal may be retribution for the arrests.
HOW CAN ANYBODY THROW AWAY HALF A MILLION TONS OF FOOD WHEN SO MANY HUMAN BEINGS ARE STARVING?
Well, it depends. Is that food actually safe to eat? In this case, probably, but that hasn't been vetted and proven by the Chinese government, so they're quite sane in erring on the side of safety. Especially considering all the product recalls involving tainted food from their local producers. Plus, it's not like the US or China are strapped for food at the national level.
The problem with starvation has been one of distribution for much of the past century. If this food IS being thrown away (and that's a big "if"), then it's because there's no good way of getting it to someone who could pay some price for it before it spoils. (And food aid is generally not done for completely free.)
If it's for-profit but free, you're not the customer -- you're the product (e.g., the Slashdot Beta's "audience").
China holds all the cards
Not all the cards. China is - in some ways - like the uncontrolled and empowering Germany of the early XXth. They're the young new world superpower which doesn't have a superpower-history long enough to feel how dangerous it can be to lack diplomacy and look for trouble every other week. That obnoxious behavior is particularly strong and obvious since a couple of years ago - which is worrying. China is powerful thanks to its economic and commercial ties with most of the rest of the world. Unless there is an international comercial/economic consensus to return China to reason, China will keep growing until it is out of reach.
Slashdot, fix the reply notifications... You won't get away with it...
Monsanto's frankenfood is approved by default.
when your government is in the pockets of large corporations, legality is by fiat
This sick propaganda starts with the media. Fuck reading a story's contents, you give me the color/race, ethnicity, religion, sexual-orientation, wealth/affluence, partisanship of the story (domestic and international), I'll tell you exactly what the reactions of my countrymen will be regardless of the facts. This post-colonial imperialism is sickening and runs through the veins of our society from top to bottom. It creates double standards, domestically and internationally.
China and its Ministry of Agriculture rejects unapproved goods just like our FDA would. How dare they expect the same as us? Let the smear campaign begin! China executes Uyghur Muslims, all of a sudden China is the best. Why? Because in our hierarchical caste system, China seems ranks higher than Muslims. This is the reality, a single stamp on your forehead of an identity defines one entirely and groups you with a stereotype irrelevant of the facts. And if you think that people are willingly going to accept second-class treatment, you are tripping, keep investing in the military as this is the only way.
This is exactly why:
These double standards and injustices go on BECAUSE you permit it to happen. I'm the fucking patriot here, you are just a mindless sheep falling in line, fuck you!
"How dare China import lead-tainted goods! Ban!"
"How dare China ban our GMO exports!"
American Exceptionalism is Exceptional Hypocrisy.
The China of today is nothing like the China of old. It's really not much like the China of 10 or 20 years ago.
All my liberal friends think I'm a conservative, all my conservative friends think I'm a liberal.