In recent years, some new issues on bioethics and biological safety have cropped up along with the booming of life sciences and biological technology. These issues have roused extensive attention from scientific circles, social public, and state governments in the world, said Cheng at the Round Table of Ministers of Science on "Bioethics: International Implications" of UNESCO held from 22-23 October 2001 at its Headquarters in Paris. Therefore, the Chinese government gives its backing to UNESCO's decision of putting scientific ethics, especially bioethics as one of the five subjects of UNESCO's 2002-2003 Plan that deserves the top-priority. And Chinese scientists have actively participated in UNESCO's activities in this connection.

When talking about cloning technology, Cheng said, we subscribe to stem cell research of human embryo used for curing and preventing diseases but firmly oppose human cloning and any reproductive cloning experiments. He reiterated that all researches and application of cloning technology should not violate international rules on bioethics and China gives its consent to the setting up of international convention for the banning on human cloning.

With regard to transgenic technology, Cheng said that China would actively make development, promote scientific renovation, and upgrade the agricultural transgenic technology as a whole. Meanwhile, China would strengthen safety management on transgenic lives, set up a control system and a scientific criterion for appraising safety of agricultural transgenic lives, protect ecological environment, and ensure human's health as well.

Present at the conference were more than 120 delegates from over 70 countries and regions thought out the world, of whom nearly 50 are vice Ministers, Ministers, and state secretaries. And the Communiqu? on bioethics of UNESCO was unanimously passed at the conference. This is the first international conference of such a high level in the world on suchlike topic.

( October 26, 2001)