国务院专家 中国将继续研究转基因粮食

A stream of public criticism from retired military officials against China's rising engagement with genetically modified food doesn't amount to institutional hostility against the science, a senior adviser to Beijing's cabinet said.

中国国务院一位高级顾问表示，一些军方退休官员对中国越来越多地参与转基因食品发展提出的公开批评并不意味着政府将从制度上反对转基因技术。

Ye Xingqing, director of the rural economy department at the State Council Development Research Center, said Beijing still regards GMO as the kind of cutting-edge global technology the country must pursue, at least in research, despite vocal sections of public opinion that oppose broadening the use of GMO food for human use.

国务院发展研究中心农村经济研究部部长叶兴庆说，中国政府仍然把转基因视为一项先进的全球技术，虽然公众有反对扩大人食用转基因食品范围的声音，但中国至少会继续对转基因技术进行研究。

Recent essays published in local newspapers by some of China's former brass drew attention to fears that GMOs might be a way by which a Western conspiracy, led by the U.S., could further undermine China's security. But this is mostly coming from some retired officers writing on an issue outside their areas of expertise, Mr. Ye told the Wall Street Journal at a China Europe International Business School conference on Sunday.

本地报纸近期刊发了一些原军方人士的文章，这些文章怀疑转基因食品可能是美国牵头的西方对中国实施的阴谋，可能进一步危害中国的安全，文章发表后引发了外界关注。但叶兴庆在周日的中欧国际工商学院(China Europe International Business School)论坛上向《华尔街日报》(Wall Street Journal)表示，这主要是一些退休的军方官员在并非自己专业领域的一个问题上发表的看法。

'They think GMOs are a technology with ulterior motives, and that Americans are laying a trap for the Chinese. But not all ordinary Chinese support this opinion, and Chinese officials also feel that GMO is essentially a technological issue, not a political question or one with ulterior motives,' Mr. Ye said.

叶兴庆称，他们认为转基因是一种别有用心的技术，美国人是在给中国人设圈套。但他指出，并非所有普通的中国人都支持这一观点，中国领导层也认为转基因在本质上是一个技术问题，而不是一个政治问题，或者是有什么不可告人的目的。

Mr. Ye's remarks offer an insight to the different stripes of opinion that make GMOs one of China's most contentious public policy issues. They also underline that, despite recent controversy over China's rejection of some GMO U.S. corn imports, Beijing squarely recognizes that it must embrace the technology, even if it would rather do so on its own terms.

从叶兴庆的话中可以看出中国对转基因食品的各种不同观点，这些观点使转基因食品成为中国最具争议的公共政策问题之一。他的话还显示出，尽管中国最近拒绝部分美国输华转基因玉米引发了争议，但北京明确承认，中国必须接受这一技术，即便中国希望根据自己的条件接受这一技术。

The discovery of the MIR-162 GMO strain -- a strain which Beijing is still studying and hasn't yet approved-- among U.S. corn shipments in November and December came amid record-high imports of the yellow grain to China. The scandal blunted bookings of U.S. corn, Mr. Ye said.

去年11月和12月，在美国输华的玉米中发现MIR-162转基因成分；此事恰逢中国进口玉米创纪录高点之际。叶兴庆说，这一丑闻影响了美国玉米的订货量。目前北京仍在对MIR-162转基因成分进行研究，尚未批准。

As a result, corn shipments from the U.S. in March and April have begun giving way to purchases from Ukraine and Thailand. But, even though the diversification of its suppliers may be a desirable goal, Beijing isn't deliberately pursuing such a policy just yet, Mr. Ye said. The shifts in China's corn supply base are largely 'a market matter,' made noticeable only because their relatively low base makes volume changes more pronounced, he said.

由于上述事件，3月份和4月份中国从美国进口的玉米开始让位于从乌克兰和泰国进口的玉米。叶兴庆说，但尽管供应国的多元化可能是一个可取的目标，但北京目前尚未特意追求这样一种政策。他说，中国玉米供应基地的转变从很大程度上是市场问题，仅仅因为较低的基数使得进口量变化显得更为突出，这个问题才变得更引人注目。

China's rising wealth and demographic changes are driving a revamp in how Beijing manages the security of its food resources. Though domestic production is still its most important policy, imports have become an increasingly crucial component, Mr. Ye said. But agriculture officials are keen to stress that the world doesn't have to fear that China's entry into global food markets would result in a beggar-thy-neighbor policy.

中国不断增长的财富和人口结构的变化开始推动北京调整其保障粮食资源安全的方式。叶兴庆说，尽管国内生产仍是中国最重要的政策，进口已经成为一个日益重要的成分。但农业官员希望强调的是，世界不必担心中国进入全球粮食市场会催生以邻为壑的政策。

'Import increases will be gradual, even and slow,' Mr. Ye said.

叶兴庆说，进口的增加将是逐步的、均匀的、缓慢的。