The Chinese government on Thursday started a four-month nationwide campaign to improve the quality of goods and food safety.

During her speech at a conference on quality and safety issues held on Thursday, Chinese Vice Premier Wu Yi described the campaign as a "special battle" to ensure the people's health and interests and maintain a good image of Chinese products.

The campaign will target farm produce, processed food, catering sector, drugs, pork, imported and exported goods and products in close link to human safety and health.

Wu, also head of the newly-established national leading group to address product quality and safety issues, called for an integrated quality monitoring network across the country, covering product design, raw materials, processing, sales and service.

A sense of quality should be aroused among the whole society, Wu stressed.

Li Changjiang, head of the General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine, said related authorities should inform the public of the latest progress of the campaign by holding joint press conferences at least once a month.

The qualification rate of exported Chinese food products has been over 99 percent for many years, according to a white paper on the country's food safety issued by the government on Friday.

"Yet, there are still a tiny number of enterprises that disregard the law, regulations and standards of China and importing countries and, by deception or fraud, avoid supervision by the inspection and quarantine authorities, or export food by improper channels," the white paper said.

Since this March, quality and safety issues of made-in-China products have been under international spotlight, ranging from pet foods to drugs, toothpastes, toys, aquatic products and tyres.

(Xinhua News Agency August 24 2007)