China Update: Trade Talks and Plant Breeding Innovation Dialogue

Last week, senior officials from the United States and China met in Beijing to work towards a resolution on the current trade tensions and tariffs. A positive outcome of the discussions was China’s import approval of five genetically modified crop varieties from the U.S. Unfortunately, 23 tariff lines of seeds for planting from China are still impacted by a 10-percent tariff. This tariff will increase to 25-percent on March 1 if a trade deal between the two countries is not reached. If you are impacted by these tariffs, please email Abigail Struxness so she can keep you updated on ASTA’s ongoing efforts. The second gene editing workshop in Beijing, China – coordinated, in part, by ASTA – attracted over 80 participants, including Chinese researchers, seed companies, and representatives from the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs. The December 2018 workshop built upon the success of the previous year’s workshop in driving toward consistency in communications and policies surrounding gene editing. Speakers from Argentina, Chile, Germany, the UK, Canada, and the United States provided updates on regulatory decisions in their countries, as well as discussions on risk assessment and intellectual property rights.