The 6th meeting of the Chinese and Argentine Working Group on Biotechnology at the end of July saw the launch of a joint ‘practical exercise’ between the two governments on regulatory cooperation, which will involve a joint assessment of a drought and herbicide resistant variety of soy.  

The meeting addressed various regulatory and commercial matters, including approved biotech crops, regulatory challenges of new biotechnologies, and cooperation on the dissemination of sound science and and public perception.

Of high priority was technical and scientific cooperation, most notably on a project to jointly assess a biotech soy variety, with the focus on a culture developed jointly by INDEAR in Argentina, and DBN in China.

This is the first time that two countries agree to undertake an exercise of this magnitude at the bilateral level, China being the largest buyer of soybeans worldwide and Argentina one of its main suppliers.

Full story here (in Spanish).