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Chinese scientists have made a significant breakthrough in the development of a domestic source of natural rubber, according to the Institute of Genetics and Development Biology under the Chinese Academy of Sciences.

The institute announced on Sept. 3 that it has drafted a high-quality genome sequence, which includes over 46,000 genes, of Taraxacum kok-saghyz, an experimental source of natural rubber more commonly known as Russian dandelion.

The achievement is set to reduce China’s dependency on natural rubber imports. Currently, over 80 percent of the country’s natural rubber is imported. China started to research natural rubber substitutions in 2015.