Dubock disputes that timeline and believes Tang did not
require special import permits; China's Customs Clearance Guide for International Passengers prohibits travelers from importing GM organisms, but that does not include cooked rice, he says: «Organisms are living things.»
Cynthia Ringgold, however, notes that the development has
imported a
special hybrid grass from the U.S., called Paspalum, which
requires 50 % less fertilizers, pesticides and irrigation.