China's quality watchdog said it has recently rejected 60,000 tonnes of corn imports from the US which contains unapproved transgenic content.
Local authorities in the southern port city of Shenzhen found MIR162, a type of insect-resistant transgenic corn, among a batch of over 60,000 tonnes of corn imported from the US, said Chen Xitong, spokesman for the General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine (AQSIQ).
MIR162 is not authorised by China's agricultural department, and the Shenzhen bureau returned the batch of imports according to China's regulations for genetically modified agricultural products, state-run Xinhua news agency quoted Chen as saying.
According to Chen, the AQSIQ has notified US authorities of the event, hoping they will order the US corn exporters concerned to strengthen inspection and quarantine of corn exports to China in conformity with Chinese law and regulations.
He said Chinese and US authorities have agreed to enhance technical exchanges concerning China's imports of US beef from cattle aged 30 months or less.
