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BEIJING : Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao has pledged to step up food safety inspections amid rising foreign concern over dangerous goods from China, members of a Japanese trade mission said.
During talks with the trade mission, Wen pledged to improve food quality and increase inspections of factory products, a Japanese official told journalists in a late Wednesday briefing following the meeting.
"I have reviewed this issue. We want to continue to make efforts to improve quality control," the official quoted Wen as saying in talks with former Japanese prime minister Yohei Kono.
"China hopes to learn from the experience of Japan," Wen said referring to the difficulties Japan had in meeting the quality standards of industrialised nations decades ago.
"The Chinese government will pay close attention to domestic food companies and improve the quality of their products," Wen said.
The premier also echoed accusations made by top China food-quality officials that the international media was overreacting to the issue in a bid to tarnish China's image, the official said.
China's safety standards have come under sharp international criticism amid regular reports of fake, shoddy or dangerous goods emanating from the nation's chaotic and corrupt food and drug industry.
Reports in the United States of tainted pet foods, dangerous toys, drugs, fish, cosmetics and other products from China have led to a spate of recalls and bans there.
Wen's comments come after US President George W. Bush ordered top aides Wednesday to review the safety of imports into the United States amid public outrage over goods from China.
"The American people expect their government to work tirelessly to make sure consumer products are safe," he said, after signing an executive order creating a high-level task force to assess US safeguards and report back in 60 days.
Starting on July 31, US and Chinese officials are slated to begin five days of talks aimed at improving food safety mechanisms between the two nations, Xinhua news agency reported earlier. - AFP/de
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