Beijing Backs Gene-Edited Crops in Major High-Tech Farming Push

China has explicitly designated gene-editing as a “critical core agricultural technology” for the first time in national planning, signaling a major state-backed push to modernize farming through advanced biotechnology and bolster the country’s long-term food security. The policy shift, embedded in the newly released 15th Five-Year Plan for Accelerating Agricultural and Rural Modernization (2026-2030), marks a significant step toward adopting gene-edited crops as a mainstream tool for agricultural productivity.

A Landmark Policy Shift

The State Council’s plan, reported by Caixin Global, calls for developing new gene-editing tools and accelerating innovations in multi-target, high-efficiency gene editing and precise single-base editing. These efforts fall under the banner of “agricultural new quality productive forces” (农业新质生产力) — a concept championed by President Xi Jinping that refers to growth driven by advanced technology and innovation rather than traditional inputs.

The plan sets ambitious targets: raising the contribution of technological advances to farm output by 3 percentage points to 67% by 2030, and reaching an agricultural and related industries’ added value of 25.8 trillion yuan (approximately $3.6 trillion) by the end of the decade, according to the South China Morning Post. Grain production capacity is targeted at 1.45 trillion jin (725 million tons) by 2030.

Gene Editing vs. GMOs: A Critical Distinction

China’s regulatory framework makes a crucial scientific distinction between gene editing and traditional genetic modification. Gene-edited plants are defined as those with targeted modifications and “no foreign genes introduced” — meaning they edit the plant’s own DNA rather than introducing genes from other species. This distinction allows gene-edited products to follow a streamlined approval process compared to traditional GMOs, which face stricter safety evaluation guidelines.

This regulatory approach aligns with several other countries, including the United States and Japan, that have chosen to regulate gene-edited crops differently from GMOs. The framework was established through the “Guidelines for the Safety Evaluation of Gene-Edited Plants for Agricultural Use (Trial)” issued in 2022, followed by the “Regulations for the Review of Gene-Edited Plants for Agricultural Use (Trial)” in April 2023.

Commercialization Progress and Key Players

Despite the policy push, commercialization of gene-edited crops remains in early stages. In 2023 and 2024, China’s Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs issued 10 biosafety certificates for agricultural gene-edited organisms across four batches, covering five soybean projects, two corn, two wheat, and one rice.

Leading the charge is Shandong Shunfeng Biotechnology Co. Ltd., which obtained China’s first-ever agricultural gene-editing biosafety certificate in April 2023. Founded in 2018 with government backing, the company now holds certificates for two soybean projects and one corn project. It was founded by a team led by molecular geneticist Zhu Jiankang, who was elected to the U.S. National Academy of Sciences in 2010 and became president of Macau University of Science and Technology in January 2026.

Another heavyweight is Beijing Qi Biodesign Technology Co. Ltd., which holds five biosafety certificates covering two soybean, two wheat, and one rice project. Since its founding in 2021, Qi Biodesign has secured at least four rounds of financing totaling more than 500 million yuan ($73.81 million). It was co-founded by Gao Caixia, a researcher at the Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, and Kevin Zhao, who studied under Harvard gene-editing scientist David Liu. Gao’s research was recognized among China’s top 10 scientific advances in 2023 and named one of Nature’s seven technologies to watch in 2024.

In a significant international milestone, Qi Biodesign’s high-oleic soybean P16 received regulatory exemption from the U.S. Department of Agriculture in May 2024 — the first Chinese gene-edited product to secure such an exemption. By editing the soybean’s endogenous fatty acid desaturase gene, the company raised oleic acid content to over 80%.

The Food Security Imperative

China’s embrace of gene-edited crops is driven by an acute food security challenge: the country must feed approximately one-fifth of the world’s population with less than one-tenth of global arable land. The challenge is intensifying due to rising meat consumption, geopolitical tensions affecting trade, climate change impacts on agriculture, and urbanization reducing available farmland.

“China has come a long way in agricultural technology, but there are still clear gaps in areas such as R&D intensity and basic research,” said Liu Bingxin, an agricultural analyst at Huishang Futures, as quoted by SCMP. “The focus now needs to shift from simply spending more to innovating better.”

Analysis: Implications and Challenges

The policy shift carries significant implications. For China, gene-edited crops could boost yields, reduce pesticide use, and create more nutritious food — addressing multiple food security challenges simultaneously. The country is also positioning itself as a leader in agricultural biotechnology, potentially challenging the dominance of Western seed companies.

However, challenges remain. Commercialization requires a multi-step process beyond biosafety certification: completing regional and production trials, obtaining variety approval certificates, and passing audits for production and business permits. Widespread adoption may take years.

Public acceptance also poses a potential hurdle. Chinese consumers have shown skepticism toward GMOs, and while gene-edited crops are scientifically distinct, public perception may not differentiate clearly. As the CE.cn/CCTV report noted, researchers emphasize that China’s agricultural modernization is shifting from solving “whether we have it” to solving “whether it is good.”

What’s Next

As China implements its 15th Five-Year Plan, the focus will be on moving gene-edited crops from laboratory certification to commercial fields. The plan leverages China’s state-led “whole-nation system” to foster cross-disciplinary collaboration and make “decisive breakthroughs” in key agricultural core technologies. With top-level political backing now secured, the race is on to translate policy into productivity — and to determine whether gene-edited crops can help China write a new chapter in its long quest for food security.