Biotechnology -- striking it rich in Asia.

The article considers the potential for developing and promoting biotechnology in Asia, focusing in particular on China--one of the most important emerging economies in Asia. Three key factors determine the attractiveness of a country to a potential biotechnology investor--the intellectual property rights regime and the scope of protection for biotechnology inventions, the bio-ethical regulatory environment; and the active support and promotion of this industry by government and national organizations. In China, the PRC Ministry of Science of Technology and Ministry of Health jointly issued the Guidelines for Research on Human Embryonic Stem Cells in January 2004, forbidding research on human cloning for procreation purposes, but permitting cloning of embryonic stem cells and remedial cloning.