China backs GMO soybeans in push for hi-tech foods

China will push for the commercialisation of genetically modified soybeans over the next five years as it seeks to raise production efficiency, boosting output of the crop by the world’s top soy importer and consumer.

China, which has spent billions of euro researching GMO crops, has already embraced the technology for cotton but has not yet permitted the cultivation of any biotech food crops amid fears from some consumers over perceived health risks.

In its latest five-year plan for science and technology to 2020, China for the first time outlined specific GMO crops to be developed, including soybeans — used in food products such as tofu and soy sauce and for animal feed — and corn.