GM is a question of public or private good

China does not want its genetically modified food (GM) market to be dominated by foreign products (and thus foreign companies). Such assurance by officials of Central Rural Work Leading Group, China's top agency in charge of rural work and agricultural affairs, are necessary to convince the people that the country's leadership is serious about food security.

But it also raises a pertinent, and disturbing, question: Has China decided to allow the use of GM seeds to grow staples like rice, wheat and corn? Of course, China allows the import of GM soybeans and corns.

China is home to more than 1.3 billion people, and feeding them is a big challenge, especially in these times of climate change and weather idiosyncrasies. But despite all the challenges, and without using GM crops, China has become the largest producer of the two most widely used staple foods, rice and wheat, and the second-largest producer of another staple, corn.