China's government said it issued temporary approvals for some types of gene-modified corn to be imported to the world's largest grain market.
The agriculture ministry issued interim safety certification for six gene-modified corn varieties to prevent China's new rules on gene-altered crops from halting grain trade with other countries, the State Grain Bureau said in a report. Still, high US corn prices may prevent increased shipments to China.
"US corn prices are too high," said Gu Lifeng, a manager at China National Maize Export Co, the top state-run corn trader.
"There might be demand for 1 to 2 million tons of corn exports [from the US to China] this year, but we won't see any until prices in the US start coming down."
Corn for December delivery yesterday rose US$0.1125, or 4.6 percent, to US$2.56 a bushel on the Chicago Board of Trade, the highest closing price for a most-active contract since June 1998 because a monthlong drought in the US Midwest damaged most of the corn crops there. Prices were up 26 percent since May 1 as planting delays and heat waves threatened to reduce production.
US corn delivered to China is as much as US$20 per metric ton more expensive than local corn, said Jim Heneghan, a Beijing-based trader at Louis Dreyfus & Cie.
China pledged when it joined the WTO in December to allow the import of as much as 5.8 million tons of corn at a reduced 1 percent import tax this year. Imports beyond that level would attract tax of 70 percent.
RETHINK? The defense ministry and Navy Command Headquarters could take over the indigenous submarine project and change its production timeline, a source said Admiral Huang Shu-kuang’s (黃曙光) resignation as head of the Indigenous Submarine Program and as a member of the National Security Council could affect the production of submarines, a source said yesterday. Huang in a statement last night said he had decided to resign due to national security concerns while expressing the hope that it would put a stop to political wrangling that only undermines the advancement of the nation’s defense capabilities. Taiwan People’s Party Legislator Vivian Huang (黃珊珊) yesterday said that the admiral, her older brother, felt it was time for him to step down and that he had completed what he
Taiwan has experienced its most significant improvement in the QS World University Rankings by Subject, data provided on Sunday by international higher education analyst Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) showed. Compared with last year’s edition of the rankings, which measure academic excellence and influence, Taiwanese universities made great improvements in the H Index metric, which evaluates research productivity and its impact, with a notable 30 percent increase overall, QS said. Taiwanese universities also made notable progress in the Citations per Paper metric, which measures the impact of research, achieving a 13 percent increase. Taiwanese universities gained 10 percent in Academic Reputation, but declined 18 percent
CHINA REACTS: The patrol and reconnaissance plane ‘transited the Taiwan Strait in international airspace,’ the 7th Fleet said, while Taipei said it saw nothing unusual The US 7th Fleet yesterday said that a US Navy P-8A Poseidon flew through the Taiwan Strait, a day after US and Chinese defense heads held their first talks since November 2022 in an effort to reduce regional tensions. The patrol and reconnaissance plane “transited the Taiwan Strait in international airspace,” the 7th Fleet said in a news release. “By operating within the Taiwan Strait in accordance with international law, the United States upholds the navigational rights and freedoms of all nations.” In a separate statement, the Ministry of National Defense said that it monitored nearby waters and airspace as the aircraft
UNDER DISCUSSION: The combatant command would integrate fast attack boat and anti-ship missile groups to defend waters closest to the coastline, a source said The military could establish a new combatant command as early as 2026, which would be tasked with defending Taiwan’s territorial waters 24 nautical miles (44.4km) from the nation’s coastline, a source familiar with the matter said yesterday. The new command, which would fall under the Naval Command Headquarters, would be led by a vice admiral and integrate existing fast attack boat and anti-ship missile groups, along with the Naval Maritime Surveillance and Reconnaissance Command, said the source, who asked to remain anonymous. It could be launched by 2026, but details are being discussed and no final timetable has been announced, the source