Product safety key to markets

As the EU Commissioner for Consumers, China sits very high on my agenda. China is by far the most important manufacturer of consumer goods worldwide and the EU's second-largest trading partner. Products carrying the "Made in China" logo fill the homes of European citizens.

In Europe we have a zero tolerance approach to products that pose a risk to the health or safety of consumers. But product safety is not an issue that can be addressed solely within the EU borders. In this globalized world, we need a globalized approach. As the international industrial giant, China needs to secure its reputation as a reliable producer of good quality, safe consumer goods.

Recently, the commission published its annual report on the Rapid Alert System for dangerous goods. The results showed that many dangerous products taken off the EU market last year came from China. The Chinese authorities are fully aware of this situation and I appreciate just how hard they are working to address it. Following the series of recalls in 2007, China's General Administration for Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine (AQSIQ) has audited a large number of export-licensed manufacturers and forced them to improve their safety control systems. This serious control activity before export comes on top of the "deliverables" in the field of product safety agreed with AQSIQ in 2007. Promoting awareness of product safety requirements and obligations amongst Chinese manufacturers, traders and exporters is another important strand of activity.