Chinese general stokes debate on genetically modified food

A Chinese general has added fuel to the already heated debate over the increasing amount of genetically modified (GM) food on dinner tables by blasting government efforts to make modified crops more widely available.

Adopting the cultivation of GM food would do China more harm than good, Peng Guangqian wrote in a Xinhua commentary on Wednesday. Peng holds a non-command rank equivalent of major-general of the People’s Liberation Army and is a frequent television talking head.

“What they call ‘solving the food problem for 1.3 billion people’ by relying on genetic engineering is a complete lie,” he wrote. “We can’t afford to move on a trial-and-error basis.”

Peng’s outspoken criticism reflects how the controversial issue has managed to overcome the usual bipartisan debate between liberals questioning government policy and conservatives staunchly supporting them.

The general blamed “Western multinational companies” for dumping GM crops in China and thus destroying the country’s traditional agriculture. Heilongjiang, the province bordering North Korea and Siberia, has turned from being a major producer of soybeans to being largely reliant on imports, he wrote.

Peng warned that these Western companies could assume a monopoly over crops planted in China. Quoting President Xi Jinping, Peng said that China should be self-sufficient in terms of food supply.

This is not the first time the general has spoken out against the import of GM food to China. In August, he caused a stir with his commentary in the Global Times, theorising a Western conspiracy to undermine Chinese food security.