China top importer of US soybeans

China retained its position as the US largest soybean importer in 2013, with 24.6 million metric tons in imports, said Michael Schechtman, biotechnology coordinator for the US Department of Agriculture, on Tuesday in Beijing.

In June, Schechtman will participate in an annual meeting on genetic food engineering and oversight with the officials from the Chinese agriculture ministry.

China also imported 4 million tons of corn from the US last year, mainly to use as animal feed, Schechtman said.

Although the USDA doesn't trace biotech and non-biotech production in exports, he said 90 percent of the soybeans and corn produced in US are genetically modified.

Import certificates for GM crops in China have been granted for soybeans, corn, rapeseed, cotton and beets, allowing them to be imported as raw materials for domestic processing, the Ministry of Agriculture said.