The top Republican lawmaker is sounding the alarm after a Chinese agricultural firm was approved to create ‘genetically engineered soybeans’ for consumption in the U.S.
The suspiciously rapid approval by the Department of Agriculture (USDA) of Chinese biotech firm Qi Biodesign should raise major alarm bells, says Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) Chairman John Moolenaar, R-Mich.
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And the company specifically poses a threat to U.S. farming companies’ secrets, he says.
His concern comes at a time of heightened anxiety about China‘s meddling in U.S. agricultural efforts – as the country owns over 347,000 acres of farmland near sensitive military bases.
‘Make no mistake, Qi Biodesign and other PRC firms like it are directly supported by the PRC government with the explicit purpose to replicate and replace U.S. agriculture biotechnology,’ Moolenaar writes to Vilsack.
The Michigan Republican’s warning to the secretary included a list of questions demanding clarity on U.S. agricultural firms’ relationships with Chinese counterparts, details on Qi Biodesign’s approval process and USDA trade agreements with the PRC.
‘We write to express alarm at the recent U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) positive determination of the People’s Republic of China (PRC) agriculture biotech firm Qi Biodesign’s genetically engineered soybeans which will enable future sales in the United States.’
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Further, the chairman says that USDA allowed the PRF firm to ‘jump to the head of the queue’ in the approval process while ‘U.S. companies continue to face extensive delay.’
‘USDA appears to have facilitated Qi Biodesign’s regulatory status review in a matter of weeks, raising questions about the level of due diligence and motivation behind the rapid review.’
‘As such, we ask that you immediately revisit the regulatory status review of Qi Biodesign.’
‘Furthermore, the PRC’s well- documented theft of U.S. intellectual property has repeatedly extended to theft of U.S. agriculture technology, through cyber attacks and outright theft of physical seeds,’ Moolenaar writes.
Five other members in addition to the chairman signed the letter.
Reps. Neal Dunn, R-Fla., Dusty Johnson, R- S.D., Ashley Hinson, R-Iowa, Carlos Gimenez, R-Fla., and Ben Cline, R-Va., also signed the letter.
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Congress has recently implemented several restrictions in the yet-to-be passed 2024 ‘Farm Bill’ to restrict the PRC’s ability to purchase U.S. land.
The upcoming House Farm Bill will contain measures to restrict foreign entities like China from scooping up American farmland in a big win for national security, a Republican who helped secure the provisions previously told DailyMail.com.
Foreign entities own a total of 40 million acres of U.S. farmland and China has bought up nearly 347,000 acres, according to the USDA.
Rep. Ashley Hinson, R-Iowa, amended the legislation to include provisions to more easily track foreign entities’ purchases of U.S. agricultural land.
‘Communist China shouldn’t be allowed to buy another acre of American farmland, nor should we rely upon our top foreign adversary for key parts of our food supply chain,’ Hinson told DailyMail.com in late May.
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‘Qi Biodesign and other firms like it, play a critical role to General Secretary Xi Jinping’s desire to achieve self-reliance in agricultural technology at the clear expense of U.S. farmers and companies,’ Moolenaar says in his letter.
‘Given that the Chinese Communist Party sees a direct nexus between agriculture and national security, USDA should be vigilant to protect U.S. farmers from exploitation by the PRC.’
The Republican asked for a response from the USDA by August 1.
* Original Article:
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-13620129/amp/china-genetically-modify-american-soybeans.html?ito=smartnews