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In 2023, Hong Kong did not have any policy changes to regulations pertaining to genetically engineered (GE) products. GE products are subject to the same food regulations of conventional foods.

On October 25, 2024 the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs (MARA) of the People’s Republic of China (PRC) published a National Smart Agriculture Action Plan (2024-2028) (hereafter “Action Plan”).

In September 2024, a National Assembly member submitted a draft revision of the Act on Transboundary Movements of Living Modified Organisms, commonly referred to as the LMO Act.

The People's Republic of China (PRC) continues to advance its agricultural biotechnology system for commercial cultivation of domestically-developed genetically engineered (GE) food and feed crops, specifically corn and soybeans.

The New Zealand Government is in the final stages of amending its Climate Change Response Act 2002 to remove agriculture activities from the New Zealand Emissions Trading Scheme.

The Thai government has made significant progress in addressing food security and climate change challenges by advancing its biotechnology regulatory landscape. Recognizing the benefits of genome editing technology as a key driver for enhancing the competitiveness and value of the agricultural sector, Thailand has taken a major step forward.

The Philippines has been a pioneer within Asia in adopting biotechnology crops. On April 17, 2024, the Court of Appeals (CA) ruling on the Writ of Kalikasan revoked the biosafety permit for commercial propagation of golden rice and directed the University of the Philippines Los Baños (UPLB) to cease and desist from commercially propagating and conducting activities relating to Bt eggplant.

This report described Burma’s current production, regulations and trade for genetically engineered products, as well as recent activities focused on agricultural biotechnology. Burma’s (also called Myanmar) National Biosafety Framework and Biosafety Guidelines have been pending approval by the Ministry of Agriculture since before the 2021 coup.

Research and development of agricultural biotechnology in Indonesia continue to progress gradually. Over the past year, around 10 GE crop events have obtained food and feed approval, although only one has received environmental approval for domestic cultivation. To date, more than 50 crop events have received food and feed safety certificates.

There have been no major changes to Malaysia's biotechnology regulations in the past year. The country continues to review its Biosafety Act, including how it will regulate gene edited products in the future. Malaysia currently has 61 genetically engineered (GE) products approved for import.

Singapore does not have any domestic commercial production of plant biotechnology. The Singapore Food Agency (SFA) website lists 108 genetically engineered (GE) crops approved for use as food for direct consumption, ingredients, and further processing into ingredients for other food in the country.

Since the previous report, Taiwan has granted new approvals for imports of genetically engineered (GE) products for processing, food, and feed use. Taiwan has never permitted domestic production of GE crops or animals. In 2023, Taiwan imported close to $930 million of U.S. crops including soybeans, corn, and cotton, accounting for 25 percent of total U.S. agricultural exports to the island.