本世纪初，中国有8700个种子公司。但无一能够研发出美国孟山都、杜邦公司那种级别的产品。最后只剩下一条路：theft.

(我们尚处于蛮荒时代的文科的潜力更大。）

南华早报评论科学杂志的记者 Mara Hvistendahl 新书The Scientist and the Spy.

In the early 2000s there were, by one count, 8,700 Chinese seed companies and “none of them had success­fully managed to create seed lines that rivalled those of the inter­national seed outfits”, Hvistendahl writes. As such, getting their hands on advanced genetically modified seeds to reverse engineer was a big advantage, albeit an illegal one. “Real research takes time. Theft is expedient – especially if there is little chance of getting caught,” she adds.