China's approval process for genetically modified crops is one of the main concerns that might end the trade war between China and the United States. China is known to have a lengthy approval process for the crops.
According to reports, United States companies and farmers are complaining because it took years to approve new strains of GM crops which stalled trade by restrictions imposed on the sales of new products from companies that include DowDuPont Inc, Bayer AG, and Syngenta AG.
According to sources, the approval processes is one of the complaints of the Trump administration in which they demand from China to address the issue if they want an end to the trade war that has caused billions of dollars of losses to both sides and that has slowed down the global economy.
According to President Trump's statement on Thursday, the two sides were getting very close to a deal and they might be announced in about four weeks. The president, however, said that they are still discussing their differences in some issues.
According to a source, GM crops and the approval process remains one of the big issues in the discussions. The issue has been placed on the table for so many years. China is the top importer of United States soybean in which a large part is genetically modified. If the policies for the genetical crops remains lengthy or China continue to junk new strains, farmers in the United States will cease from planting their crops because of fear that China might reject their products.
In January, the negotiation between the two sides on the issue showed progress after the Chinese government approved a large amount of import for GMO crops. It was the first import of China in about 18 months. The purchase, however, had no effect on the concerns of the United States over the delay to the approval process.
There was no report on specific concerns in the issue but it is certain that the United States wants to accelerate the approval process and make it more similar to the United States.
The Chinese government allows the import of GMO soybeans and corn to be used as animal feed although planting of the modified products is not permitted.
Before the trade tension between the two nations, China purchased about 60 percent of GMO soy export of the United States. In 2017, China assured that they will speed up the review for applications.
