Will the doors to Asia swing open for GM Rice?

It's a question which has become increasingly relevant lately. "What will China eat?"

In China, rice is more than just a filler for the occasional restaurant meal - it's the most important dietary crop grown. China's 2004 rice crop is expected to rise to about 180 million tons from 161 million last year, the lowest since 1994. The country's supply deficit is around 10 million tons.

As a result, there's increasing pressure for China to open the door to GM rice. It's a move that will be sure to drive the anti-GM activists insane, but a move that many groups see as increasingly likely.

The thing to remember when it comes to Chinese acceptance of GM rice isn't necessarily the opening of the Chinese market with it's 1 billion citizens. It's the precedent that would be set for other Asian countries where rice is number one. Pakistan and India come to mind - that's another billion citizens.

Will the doors to China swing open? It's an interesting question. Some feel China may reject "western science." Others feel that science is neither western nor eastern, and that China doesn't have a choice. Time will tell.