China has always been one of the biggest countries by population in the world. Even though the growth of its inhabitants has been decreasing in the last decades, there is still a huge challenge facing people. Despite the fact that over the past 40 years production has increased dramatically, it is still not enough. There is a social stagnation in this regard, which is becoming increasingly urgent. There is also a problem considering medical treatment. Despite the huge advances in modern medicine, making and producing drugs is so expensive that some parts of the population rely on traditional pre-scientific methods of treatment. Moreover, a lot of medicine consists of natural substances withdrawn from plants. So in order to keep the plants healthy and useful for a longer time scientists took up the idea of creating transgenic plants. Even being not fully explored, GMOs already have a huge impact on Chinese agriculture.
The most important problem is not knowing the effects of genetically modified products on human’s body. There is a lack of facts confirming it being dangerous or completely safe. What is more, some researchers are sure that a rapid development of GMOs can decrease biodiversity and slow down the production of pesticides by a certain amount of companies.
About a decade ago scientists developed species of corn, rice and cotton that included Bt (Bacillus thuringiensis) genes. It made plants resistant to certain kinds of insect pests. It was a important invention because it made possible for farmers to use 80% less pesticides than before and also improved the economical situation (Shudong & Tao, 2003). However, even being such a good source of production, GMO corps is not always accepted by the Chinese people. Highly influenced by media inhabitants tend to panic and mistrust the governmental affairs. People in China constantly worry about the safety of their food. “Scandals—from libidinous, corrupt officials to rigged TV talent shows—abound in the news and on social media, but few grip the public imagination like stories of poisoned food: the milk powder, tainted with the industrial chemical melamine that killed at least six infants and sent more than fifty thousand ill babies to the emergency room in 2008” (Larson, 2015). The major pesticide businesses went broke because of the decreasing demand for their products due to rapidly development of GMO industries. That is why it is very disadvantageous for those companies to support the idea of transgenic plants. They would rather try to change people’s minds.
In the 70s of the 20th century, the pesticides were in common use, which was indeed very helpful to fight the pests. However, about 10 years later scientists fully realized the problems it can cause. Basically the whole agricultural system was in danger because of water and ground contamination. In addition, the pesticide products can be highly dangerous for people too. Bhupal, India experienced a disaster at a pesticide manufacturing plant. “The plant accidentally released 40 tons of an intermediate chemical gas, methyl isocyanate, used to produce some pesticides. In that disaster, nearly 3,000 people were killed immediately, overall approximately 15,000 deaths occurred” (Dr. Edward Group DC &NP, 2010). So after rediscovery of the effects of pesticides government decided to dedicate more time and expenses to developing of GMO companies and laboratories. Moreover, since then, China has become one of the most important biotechnological centers in the world.
There are various benefits of GMOs. Firstly, if the population grows faster, more food resources will be needed. Therefore, it can be the only solution to hunger. Genetically modified plant varieties are great for this purpose - they are resistant to diseases and weather, grow faster and are longer available to use. They are also able to produce their own insecticides against pests. GMO-plants are able to grow and produce a good crop while ordinary plants simply cannot survive due to the certain weather conditions. However, there is no confidence of whether transgenic plants are safe to use. There are certain risks such as the threat to the human body - allergic diseases, metabolic disorders and others, risk to the environment - the appearance of vegetation weeds and chemical contamination, global risks - activation of critical viruses, economical security.
The issue of using and producing GMOs in China is important because it is also responsible for the gradual displacement of some insects and animals dependent on certain kinds of plants. It means that the food chain is also in danger and any changes in this regard might cause many problems. In addition, considering the fact that China is a very important manufacturer in the world trade, it exports many goods to other countries, which makes it dangerous for even more people.
Nowadays people tend to be very careful with GMOs. There are several rules and restrictions that one must follow in order to legally produce and sell those organisms. There are even certain permits from MOA that one needs to get in order to advertise or even simply conduct marketing campaigns for genetically modified foods (Zhang, 2014). Moreover, it is also necessary to label the products so that customers can see and choose what to buy.
The presented arguments would indicate that there are certainly several ways GMOs affect China. It helps to accelerate the growth of plants and make them resistant to certain threats. Nevertheless, one should accept that transgenic organisms could also be dangerous for the humans and for the environment.
References
Dr. Edward Group DC, NP. (2010). Effects of Pesticides. Retrieved from
http://www.globalhealingcenter.com/natural-health/effects-of-pesticides/
Larson K. (2015). Can the Chinese Government Get Its People to Like G.M.O.s?
Retrieved from http://www.newyorker.com/tech/elements/can-the-chinese-government-get-its-people-to-like-g-m-o-s
Shudong Z., Tao Z. (2003). The Economic and Social Impact of GMOs in China.
Retrieved from https://chinaperspectives.revues.org/359#quotation
Zhang L. (2014). Restrictions on Genetically Modified Organisms: China. Retrieved
