China tightens quality supervision

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Source: CCTV.com | 08-28-2007 08:49

Amid mounting international concerns over the quality of Chinese goods, the national quality supervisor has explained what the government is doing to ensure product quality and safety.

Li Changjiang warns that failure to improve quality will undermine China's trading power.

From toothpaste to pet food, toys to tyres, a number of Chinese products have have come under fire.

Answering media questions, China's top quality supervisor Li Changjiang said the government takes product quality and food safety very seriously.

He said China has taken serious measures to deal with the problems, including releasing its first bulletin on food quality and safety.

Li Changjiang said, "The Chinese government has taken six major measures in a month. This shows the government's sense of responsibility in stressing product quality and food safety.”

He also said businesses that sell sub-standard goods will be severely punished and their licenses will be revoked.

The director admitted that some Chinese goods do have quality problems.

But he said that the recent recall by the American company Mattel of millions of toysets containing magnets was not because of Chinese quality issues, but because of poor design by the US company.

Li Changjiang said,"Some of the toys were manufactured based on the designs of American imports. Chinese manufacturers have already suffered big losses. What responsibilities do the US designer and importer bear?"

Li also mentioned a letter written by the US National Retail Federation to the House Appropriations Committee last week, which said that if the US pursues trade protectionism against China, several million jobs in the US retail and production industries might be lost.

Editor:Yang Jie