Importing biomaterials, such as mice and plants, will become easier for Chinese companies and research institutes next year. Having been implemented on a trial basis for two years in Beijing and Shanghai, reforms of the current rules will increase the competitiveness of the country’s bioindustry and facilitate greater international collaboration with partners. Currently, China must import the majority of its biomaterials, despite a 20% increase in output of the bioindustry last year to $500 billion. The new rules will no longer require approval for Chinese companies and institutes to import certain biomaterials from internationally recognized institutes. Other reforms include extending the length of import certificates and cutting the length of quarantine for animal and plant materials from 20 working days to 7. According to the General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine, the trial of the reforms saved about 27,000 working days for enterprises.

Source: China Daily