China stands for quality

By Wu Yi
Updated: 2007-12-13 11:53

With this in mind, the Chinese government launched in August a four-month, nationwide campaign to improve product quality and safety in the following areas: agricultural products, food processing, food sold in stores, catering, medicine, pork, imports and exports, and other consumer goods involving human health and safety.

By making this concerted effort, we aim to both resolve major product quality and safety problems, and put in place a supervision mechanism that monitors the whole production process from product design to the delivery of raw materials, production and processing, product sales and after-sale service. In food products, this mechanism covers planting and breeding, production and processing, and sales and catering. We are also working to install a product quality and safety tracking and accountability system and a national product quality monitoring network.

Twenty specific targets have been set, and both the central government authorities and local governments are required to make sure that these targets are met by manufacturers and businesses. The Chinese government has issued special regulations that clearly define the respective responsibilities of producers and businesses, government regulatory authorities and local governments. The latter two bodies are required to enforce laws rigorously to punish violations of product quality and safety.

China's actions are clearly visible on the ground. In fields across the country, agro-technicians are showing farmers how to use pesticides correctly. In factories, strict quality control is exercised in every step of the production process. At Chinese ports, all exports are subject to stringent inspection.

Over the past few months, I myself have held 10 national meetings on improving product quality and safety. I have been to Zhejiang, Shandong and Guangdong provinces on three inspection tours, with a team of over 300 supervisors who have inspected 268 companies. In Guangdong, China's largest exporting province, 100,000 local officials have been called into action, and more than one million people have received training in product quality and food safety control. Guangdong's provincial government has distributed more than 10 million brochures on this subject. Product quality standards are being updated.

Our efforts are paying off. A number of major problems affecting product quality and safety have been resolved. Wholesale farm produce markets in 676 large and medium-sized Chinese cities have been put under government monitoring and inspection programs, and 98.7% of small food processing companies in China have signed documents pledging food quality and safety.

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