Beijing court accepts GM spat defamation case

BEIJING - A Beijing district court on Tuesday accepted a case in which an online celebrity is aiming to sue a former talk show host following a spat over genetically modified (GM) corn.

The Beijing Haidian District People's Court said Fang Shimin, a prominent exposer of fraud who writes under the pen name Fang Zhouzi, had filed a lawsuit against Cui Yongyuan, a former China Central Television host over reputation damage.

Fang has asked Cui to stop infringing upon his reputation, apologize and pay 300,000 yuan ($49,590) in compensation for his mental suffering.

A biochemist and vocal supporter of GM technology, Fang engaged in a fierce war of words on a microblog with Cui after the former host questioned Fang's promotion of GM corn last year.

The spat later escalated, with the two exchanging accusations over each other's personal finances and other issues.

Fang's lawsuit claimed that Cui had forwarded posts on various rumors about him through Cui's verified account on Tencent Weibo, one of China's most popular microblogging sites, so as to launch personal attacks against him.

Fang also alleged Cui's posts are groundless and that they are malicious defamation against him.

The case is under further judicial investigation.

GM food has remained a controversial issue among the Chinese public, who are skeptical about its safety and question the lack of labeling of GM ingredients in consumer goods.