Caught between rising pressures to increase its food resources and popular skepticism over allowing more genetically modified food， China's government is stepping up a public-relations campaign that could pave the way toward full approval for commercial production of these politically sensitive crops.
　　一方面，扩大粮食资源的压力不断增大，另一方面，公众对批准更多转基因食品持怀疑态度，在这样的双重夹击下，中国政府目前正在加大公关攻势，可能为完全批准这类政治敏感作物的产业化生产铺平道路。

　　In recent months， the agriculture ministry and other state agencies have rolled out a series of statements and publicity events loudly backing the safety of GMO food， ranging from research on cucumbers to taste tests for rice. GMOs is a technical term referring to genetically modified organisms that have had their genetic blueprint artificially re-engineered； for example， corn altered to become bug-resistant.
　　近几个月，中国农业部等政府部门先后发布了一系列声明，组织了各类宣传活动，力阵转基因食品是安全的。这些活动从对黄瓜的研究到大米的品尝试验，不一而足。转基因生物这一技术名词指的是导入经人工修饰的基因的生物。举例来讲，将经人工修饰的基因导入玉米的基因组，可以增强其抵抗病虫害的能力。

　　In China's central Wuhan city， capital of Hubei province， pro-GMO activists at top state school Huazhong Agriculture University held a weekend shindig offering cake and porridge made from genetically modified 'golden rice' - modified to produce more beta-carotene， a form of Vitamin A - grown by the university， the official Xinhua news agency reported Monday. Similar 'taste tests' have been staged in more than 20 cities since May， Xinhua said.
　　新华社周一报道说，在湖北省会武汉，知名公立高等院校华中农业大学支持转基因食品的活动人士举办了一次周末活动，提供用该大学种植的转基因“黄金大米”制作的蛋糕和粥。“黄金大米”含有更多β胡萝卜素，β胡萝卜素是维生素A的一种形式。新华社报道说，自5月以来，有20多个城市组织了类似的品尝试验。

　　On Monday， the Ministry of Agriculture published a statement lauding research by a Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences scientist Huang Sanwen that mapped the genetic code of the lowly cucumber. The research， it noted， was published in Nature Genetics， an influential global journal for high-level genetic research.
　　周一，农业部发布了一份声明，赞扬中国农业科学院的科学家黄三文进行的研究。黄三文的研究破解了普通蔬菜黄瓜的基因密码。声明指出，这项研究发表于在高水平基因研究领域颇具影响的全球杂志《Nature Genetics》上。

　　Days earlier， the ministry had put out an extensive question-and-answer essay on its website， aimed at rebutting a series of recent anti-GMO screeds published in the media. The ministry took aim - not for the first time - at an essay published in the nationalist daily Global Times by Peng Guangqian， a People's Liberation Army major general who warned that it would be strategic foolishness to allow the U.S. to threaten China's food security by nurturing the Middle Kingdom's dependence on American genetically modified corn exports. The ministry also identified other media articles， including in the daily China Business News， that it said 'revived rumors claiming GMO food causes cancer and affects fertility and again raised panic among people over GMO techniques.'
　　几天前，农业部在其网站上发布了一篇详细的问答式文章，旨在反驳最近媒体上一系列反对转基因生物的文章。农业部针对民族主义色彩浓厚的日报《环球时报》(Global Times)上的一篇文章（这并非首次），这篇文章的作者是人民解放军陆军少将彭光谦。彭光谦警告说，让中国对美国输华的转基因玉米产生依赖，听任美国对中国的粮食保障造成威胁，这样做在战略上将是愚蠢之举。农业部还点名提到了其他媒体文章，包括日报《第一财经》(China Business News)上的文章。农业部说，有关转基因食品会致癌及影响生育能力的流言死灰复燃，再次引发公众对转基因技术的恐慌。

　　Fronted by appointed heavyweight academics， the ministry stated that there hasn't yet been any healthy safety issues irrefutably linked to GMO food. GMO foods 'undergo rigorous pre-market safety assessment' and GMO yields were far higher than conventional crops， it said.
　　农业部的重量级专家说，迄今为止，转基因食品商业化以来，没有发生过一起经过证实的食用安全问题。农业部说，转基因食品入市前经过了严格的安全评价和审批程序，而且转基因作物的产量远高于传统作物。

　　The last point is arguably of growing importance to China. The world's most populous nation is facing， for the first time in 10 years， the possibility that its rice production may be falling. While China's overall grain harvest this year is likely to remain robust， imports of key grains including corn - around 95% of which are genetically modified strains coming from the U.S. - have been surging since 2010.
　　最后一点可以说对于中国越来越重要。这个世界人口最多的国家在10年来首次面临着其大米产量下降的可能性。虽然中国今年的粮食收成可能仍然保持强劲，但包括玉米在内的重要谷物的进口自2010年以来一直飙升。95%的进口玉米是来自美国的转基金品种。

　　'Using domestic and foreign resources， and coordinating between two markets， are an inevitable choice for China，' the ministry said. It added that the U.S. is not only the world's largest producer of GMO corn， but also its largest consumer.
　　农业部说，利用国外国内两种资源，统筹两个市场是中国的必然选择。还说美国不仅是世界最大的转基因玉米生产国，同时也是最大的消费国。

　　The public-relations offensive may be a signal that the government is readying itself to open the door to domestic commercial production of GMO crops， a local newspaper suggested in an article.
　　一家中文报纸在一篇文章中说，上述公关攻势可能表明，政府正准备为转基因作物在中国国内实现商业化生产打开大门。

　　'The next step will be to increase scientific propaganda for our GMO biotechnology industry， to create an environment of good public opinion， and to accelerate GMO regulatory amendments，' the Beijing News report said Tuesday， citing an unnamed agriculture ministry official. The ministry didn't reply to a call for comment.
　　《新京报》周二的报道援引未具名农业部官员的话说，下一步农业部将加大科普宣传，为我国转基因生物技术产业化应用营造良好舆论环境，并加快转基因生物管理法规修订。农业部没有回复记者要求置评的电话。

　　China currently permits the commercial production of GMO tomatoes， cotton， papaya and bell pepper. It allows the import of GMO corn， soybean， canola and cotton for use in animal feed and other non-human consumption. In November 2009， the Ministry of Agriculture granted bio-safety certificates - which allow for domestic field trials - for two pest-resistant varieties of GMO rice and one variety of corn.
　　中国目前允许转基因西红柿、棉花、木瓜和菜椒的商业生产，还允许进口转基因玉米、大豆、油菜籽和棉花用于动物饲料和其他非人类的消费。2009年11月，农业部向两种抗虫害的转基因大米和一种玉米颁发了生物安全证书。有了这种证书就可以在进行国内田间实验。

　　The sentiment in the media and China's Twitter-like microblogging world tend to question the safety of GMO food in a country already awash in toxic-food scandals. For now， an ocean of critical public opinion still separates commercial production of these grains from approval by the agriculture ministry.
　　媒体和微博上的氛围大体上是质疑转基因食品的安全性。中国已经充斥著有毒食品丑闻。目前，大量的批评舆论导致这些粮食的商业生产仍无法获得农业部批准。

　　But Beijing's publicity blitz may now no longer be just about a war of wonky words with military theorists and academics. It may be revving up to turn the tide of opinion among the masses. At the taste tests for 'golden rice' at Wuhan on Saturday， according to the Xinhua report， volunteer organizers were seen sporting T-shirts with a catchy slogan that said， 'Love Science， Support Genetic Modification.'
　　但北京方面的宣传闪电战现在可能不再是与军事理论家和学者间的口舌之争，而是试图要扭转大众的观点。据新华社报道，上周六在武汉的一个“黄金大米”品尝会上，负责组织的志愿者们穿着写有“爱科学支持转基金”口号的T恤。

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