China is considering drafting its first biosafety law to better regulate the country's use and development of modern biotechnology.

According to the State Environmental Protection Administration(SEPA), the law would regulate the controversial transgenic technology.

The administration, along with five other ministries covering agriculture, science and technology, quality supervision, quarantine and foreign affairs, is now refining the details of the law before passing it to the National People's Congress for reading and ratification.

Wang Dehui, director of the Department of Nature and Ecology Conservation under the SEPA said that such a law is urgently needed to ensure the country's overall safety in a wide range covering agriculture, pharmaceuticals, trade and the environment.

Under the law, biotechnology in agricultural production needs to undergo risk evaluation and regular inspections to reduce harm to the ecosystem.

The law would also require risk evaluation on the mass production of transgenic foods to protect human health, he added.

The law would spell out rules for evaluation and inspecting alien species imports, including transgenic seeds.

( April 8, 2002)