China has blocked about a quarter of U.S. corn imports this year, the largest volume it has rejected, blaming the discovery of an unapproved genetically-modified strain.
今年中国已退运了约四分之一的美国进口玉米，退运量达到历史最高水平，原因是在玉米中发现了未经批准的转基因成分。A robust domestic harvest has allowed China leeway in returning U.S. shipments and to signal that it isn't letting up on scrutiny of foreign grain, even as policy makers debate whether to allow more domestic consumption of genetically modified food. Increasing demand has propelled China from being a net corn exporter to the world's fifth-largest buyer.
国内粮食作物的大丰收给中国退运美国玉米提供了条件，也使中国能够发出这样的信号：尽管政策制定者仍在就是否允许国内消费更多转基因食品进行争论，但中国并未放松对外国粮食进口的检查。需求的增加已使中国从玉米净出口国变成全球第五大玉米进口国。China's quality watchdog said Friday it repatriated 545,000 metric tons of U.S. corn because it contained MIR-162, an insect-resistant strain permitted in the U.S. and Europe but not approved by China's agriculture ministry. Beijing allows some transgenic corn strains for import to be used as animal feed. China's agriculture ministry said it is still evaluating the MIR-162 strain.
中国国家质量监督检验检疫总局（简称：质检总局）周五表示，中国已退运54.5万吨美国进口玉米，因在这些玉米中检出未经农业部批准的转基因成分MIR-162（这一抗虫害基因在欧美国家合法）。中国允许进口一些用于动物饲料的转基因玉米。中国农业部表示，仍在对MIR-162进行评估。
Analysts say this year's rejection is a record-high volume of grain turned away from Chinese ports. No corn shipments were rejected last year and only a negligible amount was sent away in the last three years, said Zhang Yan, an analyst with the consultancy Shanghai JC Intelligence Co. Before 2010, China was a net corn exporter and bought only small and sporadic shipments of foreign corn, Ms. Zhang said.
分析师们称，今年中国港口的玉米退运量创历史最高水平。上海汇易咨询有限公司(Shanghai JC Intelligence Co.)的分析师张燕（音译）说，去年没有玉米退运记录，过去三年的玉米退运数量更是微乎其微。张燕说，2010年之前，中国是玉米净出口国，只少量、零星地购买外国玉米。The tainted corn was found in 12 batches of U.S. shipments sent to ports in at least six provinces, the General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine said. The agency said its quarantine bureaus have notified U.S. authorities and urged the U.S. to 'improve its inspection procedures.'
质检总局称，至少在六个省份口岸12个批次的美国进口玉米中发现了上述转基因成份。质检总局称，各口岸检验检疫部门已就此通报美方，并要求美方加强对输华玉米的检测。Syngenta AG, which makes the MIR-162 strain, called on China in an emailed statement Friday to update its laws to allow the strain. 'The solution is with the Chinese authorities,' a spokeswoman said. 'If they want to import corn from the major corn producing areas of the world they should synchronize their regulatory process so that they can accept the corn being grown in those regions.'
生产MIR-162转基因的公司先正达公司(Syngenta AG)周五在通过电子邮件发表的声明中呼吁中国修订法律，认可MIR-162转基因。该公司的一位发言人称，解决方案在中国政府手中。如果中国想从全球主要玉米产区进口玉米，就应协调其监管程序，以便能接受这些产区的玉米。Traders worry the rejections may herald a slowdown in demand for exports to China. Chinese importers had lined up 3 million tons of U.S. corn imports by summer this year, the U.S. Department of Agriculture said in August.
交易员们担心退运可能导致市场对进口的美国玉米需求放缓。美国农业部(Department of Agriculture)曾在8月份表示，今年夏季中国进口商订购了300万吨美国玉米。However, an ample harvest in China may have blunted the country's need for the imports. State grain researchers say China's corn harvest this year of an estimated 215 million tons was likely a 5% rise over 2012, though the government hasn't disclosed the exact volume. Official data say China's total grain harvest, which includes corn, is up 2% from a year ago.
不过，国内的粮食丰收可能使中国的粮食进口需求减弱。国家粮食研究人员说，中国今年玉米产量估计为2.15亿吨，可能较2012年增长5%，不过政府还没有披露具体产量。官方数据显示，中国包括玉米在内的粮食总产量较上年同期增长2%。'There's the genetic modification issue, but a more realistic factor to consider is that domestic corn supply has been quite high lately, so there isn't quite as much a need for foreign supply,' said Rabobank analyst Pan Chenjun.
荷兰合作银行(Rabobank)分析师潘晨军说，退运有转基因的问题，但一个值得考虑的更现实的因素是国内玉米供应水平最近一直非常高，对外国玉米供应的需求没有以前旺盛了。China imported about 1.5 million tons of corn from the U.S. in the first 10 months of this year, according to customs data. Senior government officials have warned that the country may face a rising corn supply deficit in coming years due to increasing demand from food-processing industries.
据海关数据显示，今年前10个月，中国从美国进口了约150万吨玉米。高级政府官员一直警告说，由于食品加工业的需求不断上升，未来几年中国可能面临日益加剧的玉米供应短缺问题。The move comes as Chinese and U.S. officials begin trade talks Friday in Beijing at their Joint Commission on Commerce and Trade to address bilateral trade issues. The talks will likely address the corn trade, though it is uncertain if the issue would be resolved quickly, Ms. Zhang said. U.S. shipments currently account for 94% of China's corn imports.
退运恰逢中美商贸联委会召开之际，中美官员周五在北京举行的本次会议上开始贸易会谈，解决双边贸易问题。张燕说，会谈将可能讨论玉米贸易，不过不清楚这个问题是否会很快得到解决。美国玉米目前占中国玉米进口总量的94%。In recent months, the agriculture ministry has defended a trend of rising corn imports by arguing in a series of public statements that 'using domestic and foreign resources, and coordinating between the two markets, are an inevitable choice for China.'
近几个月，中国农业部一直在为中国玉米进口增加之势进行辩护，该部在一系列的公开声明中称利用国内外资源，协调这两个市场，是中国的一个必然选择。Some military strategists have warned that Western nations could use genetically modified organisms, or GMO, as a strategy to undermine China's food security.
一些军事战略家警告说，西方国家可能利用转基因生物作为破坏中国食品安全的一种战略。China is moving to diversify the sources of its corn imports. In recent months, it has struck deals with Argentina and Brazil to permit corn imports, including approved genetically modified strains for animal consumption, from these nations.
中国正在努力多样化其进口玉米来源。近几个月，中国已与阿根廷和巴西达成了协议，允许从这些国家进口玉米，包括用于动物饲料的核准的转基因玉米。