BEIJING - China's quality watchdog said on Friday that China has recently rejected 60,000 tonnes of corn imports from the United States which contains unapproved transgenic content.

Local authorities in the southern port city of Shenzhen found MIR162, a type of insect-resistant transgenic corn, among a batch of over 60,000 tonnes of corn imported from the United States, said Chen Xitong, spokesman for the General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine (AQSIQ).

MIR162 is not authorized by China's agricultural department, and the Shenzhen bureau returned the batch of imports according to China's regulations for genetically modified agricultural products, Chen said.

According to the spokesman, the AQSIQ has notified US authorities of the event, hoping they will order the US corn exporters concerned to strengthen inspection and quarantine of corn exports to China in conformity with Chinese law and regulations.

He added that Chinese and US authorities have agreed to enhance technical exchanges concerning China's imports of US beef from cattle aged 30 months or less.