The fact that 77 percent of the imported international brand-name shoes and clothing examined in Zhejiang failed to pass quality checks is undoubtedly shocking news to those who choose to pay top prices for these goods.

Some of the examined shoes and clothing from countries including Italy, Britain, France and Spain are not only of poor quality but also pose a threat to consumer health and safety.

The message is that higher prices do not always mean higher quality.

It is undeniable that most international brand-name products were indeed sound in quality when they were imported in the 1980s, when China was just opening to the outside world.

As a result, some of these goods have enjoyed the privilege of being free from quality checks when entering the country. Many Chinese consumers gradually developed the idea that international brand names mean higher quality and naturally should be much more expensive.

Our assumptions and loopholes in quality checks on imported goods have left us vulnerable to being taken advantage of by these well-known international firms.

If it is true that these firms have different quality standards for goods made for different markets, it would constitute discrimination against Chinese consumers to export lower quality goods.

The repeated quality problems involving imported products such as cars, powdered milk, clothing, shoes and cosmetics in recent years bring home the necessity of establishing an effective quality control mechanism which will prevent low quality goods from entering the country, no matter how famous their names.

(For more biz stories, please visit Industry Updates)