China's government said late last year it approved initial production licenses for genetically modified strains of rice and corn, but commercial cultivation required further approval.
Up to 73 million sharks are killed each year, primarily for their fins, which are used to make soup that has long played a central part in Chinese culture.
The 175 members of the group also will debate the status of African elephants, polar bears and tigers.
Reports said the Siberian tigers starved to death, having been fed nothing but chicken bones, although a zoo manager said unspecified diseases killed them during the harsh winter.
Most shellfish in offshore areas contained 'excessive harmful chemicals' such as lead, cadmium and the insecticide DDT, the China Daily reported.
Chinese and Indian leaders have announced that they will back the Copenhagen accord along with industrialized nations.
Histrionics over foreign companies getting renewable energy contracts could lead to protectionism.
Study illuminates China's plans to swoop in and take advantage of new shipping routes and oil and gas exploration in the region.
Country projected to consume around 1.26 billion bottles in 2013, an increase of about 32 percent from 2009.
