The government is to establish its first database on the
inspection and quarantine of imports and exports to keep producers
up to date with the latest safety requirements, the country's top
quality control watchdog said yesterday.
Commodities in the database will fall into 154 categories under
14 major catalogs, such as animals and related products, plants and
related products, food and food packaging, cosmetics, textiles, and
chemical and mineral products, a statement from the General
Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine
(AQSIQ) said.
The administration said the database will contain all technical
and safety requirements available for specific types of goods so
Chinese producers and relevant departments can have the latest
information about safety standards.
"China exports and imports a huge amount of commodities every
year. How to update the technical and safety standards with the
importers and keep our producers informed of the changes has become
a big concern," the statement said.
Key information in the database will be translated into English
to let foreign authorities and importers have a better
understanding of China's inspection and quarantine policies, as
well as Chinese products and enterprises, the AQSIQ said.
The administration said it had started preliminary work on the
database, using information on 4,000 different products. But it did
not say when it will be ready for use.
The database is the latest move by the government to improve
product quality.
In the past month, it has set up a Cabinet-level panel on food
safety and product quality and drawn up a blacklist of illegal
importers and exporters. It also issued a special regulation on
better quality supervision, and a White Paper on food safety, and
launched a series of crackdowns on unsafe production
facilities.
The moves follow a spate of safety scares linked to the "Made in
China" label worldwide. Unsafe food additives, toothpaste, seafood
and toys from China have all been in the international spotlight in
recent months.
However, while the government has stepped up its efforts to
improve the quality of the country's exports, it has also recorded
a growing number of unsafe foreign products, ranging from food and
medical devices to mechanical and electrical products.
The AQSIQ said yesterday it had returned a batch of 272
pacemakers from the US because they failed to meet the Chinese
safety standard for impulse amplitude.
It said it had urged local authorities to step up efforts to
make sure imported goods, especially those in related to public
health, were safe.
(China Daily August 21, 2007)
