China pushes public to accept GMO as Syngenta takeover nears

Beijing

CHINA will carry out a nationwide poll next month to test the public's acceptance of genetically-modified food, a technology the government says will boost yields and sustainable agriculture in a country where consumption has soared.

Beijing's prestigious Tsinghua University and two other Chinese colleges will carry out the survey, said Jin Jianbin, a professor at Tsinghua's School of Journalism and Communication. The government-sponsored poll will be carried out in tandem with a public-education drive on GMO (or genetically-modified organism) technology on social media, Prof Jin said.