Speak Chinese - More action urged on toy quality

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More action urged on toy quality
By Zhu Zhe
Updated: 2007-07-26 07:04




YANGZHOU, Jiangsu: As the world's largest maker and exporter of toys,
China yesterday reiterated that it would do whatever it could to
guarantee the safety of its products.

Each new type of toy is to be subject to compulsory testing before
production starts. Random factory inspections and sample testing will
also help ensure quality control, Wang Xin, director of the inspection
and supervision department of the General Administration for Quality
Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine (AQSIQ), said.

"Toys are always a top concern of ours as they'll be in the hands of
children," he told visiting European Union Consumer Protection
Commissioner Meglena Kuneva during a trip to a toy factory and testing
center in Yangzhou, East China's Jiangsu Province.

He said China had consistently worked to make sure that "every piece
exported meets the standards of the importing countries".

But the director also acknowledged that problems existed because of the
huge volume of goods involved and asked for more information about
seizures of unsafe products from the EU to Chinese authorities enforce
the law and track down the manufacturers responsible.

Figures from the China Toy Association show that toy exports exceeded
$17.8 billion last year. The United States and the EU were the two
biggest markets. Exports to the EU reached $4.6 billion, and more than a
half of all the toys sold in Europe came from China.

An EU report showed that last year, toys for the first time overtook
electrical appliances in terms of RAPEX notifications. RAPEX is Europe's
alert system for dangerous consumer products.

Toys received 221 notifications last year, accounting for 24 percent of
the total notifications issued. Choking caused by small parts, injuries
from sharp edges and chemical risks were the top three threats.

The report did not say how many of the dangerous toys were from China,
but it did say that about half of all the unsafe products had originated
here.

"Therefore, China is a very big concern for our product safety," Kuneva
said while giving a briefing to reporters after the tour.

The commissioner said she hoped to intensify cooperation with China on
product safety.


















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