VZCZCXYZ0013
PP RUEHWEB

DE RUEHHK #0128/01 0201004
ZNR UUUUU ZZH(CCY ADX1EE0DD MSI4007-623)
P 201004Z JAN 09
FM AMCONSUL HONG KONG
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 6703
INFO RUEHRC/USDA FAS WASHDC PRIORITY 1425
RUEHBJ/AMEMBASSY BEIJING PRIORITY 2849
RUEHKO/AMEMBASSY TOKYO PRIORITY
RUEHUL/AMEMBASSY SEOUL PRIORITY 3448
RUEHGZ/AMCONSUL GUANGZHOU PRIORITY 0085
RUEHIN/AIT TAIPEI PRIORITY 0161

UNCLAS HONG KONG 000128 
 
C O R R E C T E D  C O P Y //ADDED MISSING INFO ADDEE 
AMEMBASSY TOKYO// 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR EAP/CM 
STATE FOR EEB/TPP/ABT/BTT FINN 
USDA FOR FAS/OSTA/MHENNEY/AROBERTS/ARUDE 
USDA FOR FAS/OCRA/ABRANSON 
BEIJING FOR FAS AND ECON 
TOKYO FOR FAS 
SEOUL FOR FAS 
AIT FOR FAS/HALLMAN, ECON/OCONNOR 
 
E.O. 12958:  N/A 
TAGS: EAGR ECON ETRD TBIO KPAO HK
SUBJECT:  FUNDING REQUEST FOR FY2009 BIOTECHNOLOGY OUTREACH AND 
CAPACITY BUILDING FOR HONG KONG & MACAU 
 
Ref: STATE 129940 
 
¶1. This is an action request. See paragraphs 2 and 11. 
 
¶2. Summary and Action Request: 
 
Hong Kong is the 7th largest and 2nd fastest growing market for U.S. 
value added foods and beverages, importing over U.S.$1.3 billion of 
these products in 2008.  However, Hong Kong Government (HKG) 
officials are under pressure from influential legislators and 
consumer advocacy groups to adopt a mandatory biotech labeling (GM) 
policy that could impact roughly 90% of these sales.  While 
regulators have thus far resisted these pressures, they have 
repeatedly said they may be forced to change their position.  Hong 
Kong's retailers have said they would not import any products that 
carried a GM label. 
 
Post's education outreach on agricultural biotechnology played a key 
role in reversing Hong Kong (HK) regulators' intention to announce a 
mandatory scheme in 2008.  Continuing an effective biotech outreach 
program, which was greatly assisted by last year's grant, is 
essential to countering persistent pro-labeling sentiment. For 
FY2009 post requests a total of $92,000 to carry out a number of 
outreach and capacity building activities targeting educators, 
policy makers, consumer groups, and the press.  The proposed 
activities include speakers, workshops, field trips, and generating 
bilingual educational materials.  One of the primary benefits of 
these activities will be to develop a local cadre of objective and 
credible biotech advocates from various disciplines who can speak 
publicly on this issue. 
 
As a regional leader on food safety issues, Hong Kong's well 
reasoned and science-based rejection of a mandatory policy could 
have influential spillover effects in the region, including Taiwan, 
mainland China and Southeast Asia.  As the issue of biotech labeling 
is a high-priority for many U.S. missions in the region, post has 
intentionally designed programs other embassies and consulates could 
join. 
 
Because many alternative funding sources often used for biotech 
education and outreach are restricted to lower income markets (e.g. 
USDA's Emerging Markets Program and Cochran Program), this is one of 
the very few funding sources available to Hong Kong.  End summary 
and action request. 
 
 
BACKGROUND 
 
Biotechnology Trade and Production 
---------------------------------- 
 
¶3. U.S. exports of all agricultural products to Hong Kong totaled 
approximately $1.8 billion in 2008.  HKG currently makes no 
distinction between conventional and biotech foods; all are subject 
to the same food safety regulation.  Of the $1.8 billion of exports, 
$1.3 billion were value-added food and beverage products (VAFP).  A 
mandatory biotech labeling law would affect virtually all U.S. VAFPs 
as most contain some genetically modified ingredients, such as 
vegetable oil, corn, syrups, starch etc.  Hong Kong's retailers have 
said they would not import any products that required a GM label. 
 
¶4. In 2003, the HKG announced a program for voluntary labeling for 
pre-packaged food and mandatory pre-market safety assessment 
requirements for all food products.  The HKG released the guidelines 
for voluntary labeling of biotech foods in 2006 in order to answer 
the public call concerning consumers' right to make an "informed 
choice" on these products.  These guidelines were formulated by a 
working group established under the Hong Kong Center for Food 
Safety.  The officials hoped to see wide adoption of voluntary 
labeling. 
 
HKG Postpones Mandatory Labeling But Threat Remains 
--------------------------------------------- ------ 
 
¶5. (SBU) Hong Kong was on the brink of adopting mandatory labeling 
on biotech foods when post applied for program funding in FY2008. 
Post's education outreach on agricultural biotechnology played a 
critical role in reversing HKG's intention to announce a mandatory 
scheme in 2008.  A senior government official who directs HK's food 
risk assessments attended the state-funded outreach program and 
 
 
 
commented that this lecture on biotechnology was the best he has 
ever heard.  However, the threat remains.  Citing the "failure" of 
voluntary labeling, aggressive consumer groups and some legislators 
have renewed their calls for the HKG to initiate a mandatory 
labeling regime for GM foods. For example, Greenpeace has mobilized 
an email campaign to the HKG requesting a timetable for mandatory 
labeling. 
 
¶6. Post believes that educating HKG officials, legislators, 
educators and media on the science-based principles and consumer 
benefits of biotechnology is the most effective way to keep biotech 
labeling voluntary.  The extremely positive response to last year's 
speaker is a case in point.  Furthermore, HK's work in this area and 
its importance as a transshipment point could have influential 
spillover effects in both Taiwan, the PRC and Southeast Asia.  As 
the issue of biotech labeling is a high priority one for many U.S. 
missions in the region, post has intentionally designed a program 
other posts could join. 
 
Success of FY2008 Program 
------------------------- 
 
¶7. (SBU) Realizing the need of dispelling the myth of biotechnology 
in Hong Kong, post used State's program to support its biotech 
outreach efforts to educate relevant stakeholders with a 
science-based approach to biotechnology. 
 
¶8. Post invited Dr. Wayne Parrott, Professor of Plant Genetics at 
the University of Georgia, to give a series of five biotech lectures 
to different audiences which reached nearly 1,200 people.  Dr. 
Parrott's presentation was geared to a lay audience.  To add 
credibility and gravitas to these lectures, ATO enlisted the Chinese 
University's Center for Plant and Agricultural Biotechnology as a 
co-sponsor for the Hong Kong presentations.  For the event in Macau, 
ATO partnered the Faculty of Health Sciences and Macau Institute for 
Applied Research in Medicine and Health of the Macau University of 
Science and Technology (MUST) and the International School of Macao. 
 
 
¶9. To achieve our objective of providing a science-based 
introduction of GM foods to relevant stakeholders, Dr. Parrott 
addressed government officials who are in charge of food safety and 
labeling, those following the Cartagena Protocol, those developing 
curriculum for secondary schools, and those responsible to attract 
foreign investments in Hong Kong.  Through this outreach activity, 
Hong Kong's key retailers, traders, importers and food manufactures 
were also educated on the merits and scientific development of GM 
foods. 
 
¶10. In an effort to educate the broader population on this issue, 
Dr. Parrott addressed teachers and students from secondary schools 
in Hong Kong and Macao.  Educators were provided with a copy of the 
presentation, to us as a resource for teaching.  Subsequently, a DVD 
of Dr. Parrott's presentation was mailed to all high schools in Hong 
Kong. 
 
Proposed Capacity Building and Outreach Programs 
--------------------------------------------- --- 
 
¶11. Action Request: Post requests funds totaling $92,000 in FY2009 
to conduct workshops, field and laboratory visits, media education 
kits, and subtitled DVDs.  By targeting secondary school biology 
teachers and media, these activities will contribute to the 
development of high school curricula on biotechnology.  Educating 
teachers and media on the many environmental and nutritional 
attributes of biotech foods should result in favorable fact-based 
articles on the topic, create a group of credible proponents of this 
technology, and make it much more difficult for mandatory labeling 
advocates to prevail.  The outreach programs described below will 
have the effect of promoting the acceptance of modern food 
technology. 
 
¶A. Workshop and Field Trip to the U.S. 
--------------------------------------- 
 
Post requests US$80,000 to fund a 9-day trip to the U.S. for a 
ten-person delegation comprised of educators and journalists.  The 
fee will cover travel costs, per diem, hiring of a workshop 
 
 
 
organizer and all associated recruitment costs.  HK Government 
officials will also be invited to participate but will be 
self-funded.  The program in the U.S. will take participants to 
biotech fields and labs and educate them on the nutritional and 
environmental gains of biotechnology.  The Institute of 
International Agriculture at Michigan State University, which 
specializes in programs on biotech for foreign visitors, will be 
appointed to organize this workshop, and will facilitate development 
of a biotechnology curriculum.  The journalists and teachers will be 
required to write a daily blog so as to amplify the effect of the 
outreach program in the U.S. to Hong Kong readers. (The budget can 
be adjusted according to the number of participants.  The cost per 
head, in terms of hiring the workshop organizer, could be lowered by 
including participants from other posts.) 
 
¶B. Workshops organized in Hong Kong 
----------------------------------- 
 
Our requested budget is US$12,000 which will cover all the cost of 
organizing a series of workshops on biotechnology in Hong Kong and 
Macao including the travel costs of a U.S. speaker, hiring of venue, 
printing of materials and making of DVDs.  As we have done last 
year, the DVDs, which will be distributed to all 500 secondary 
schools in Hong Kong after the event, could be an effective teaching 
aid on biotechnology.  Furthermore, the 2009 DVD will include 
Chinese subtitles so that they can be used with Chinese audiences 
throughout the region.  Post would enlist local schools and 
universities to be co-sponsors of this program.  The audience of the 
workshop will include educators, students, government officials, 
media and traders. 
 
¶12. Post responsible officer is Anita Katial at 
anita.katial@usda.gov. 
 
DONOVAN