Chinese companies have chosen the Canton Fair, China's largest
trade show, to restore the battered image of "Made-in-China" after
a series of product safety incidents attracted critical headlines
across the world this summer.
The fair, which finished on Tuesday in the southern city of
Guangzhou, was slated as a "perfect" chance for Chinese companies
to restore buyers' confidence after scandals involving the export
of lead-contaminated toys, substandard toothpaste and pet
foods.
The US toy maker, Mattel Inc., has staged several high-profile
recalls of China-made products, 87 percent of which were found to
have loose magnets -- a design defect from Mattel itself -- and 13
percent of which contained excessive lead.
"Although Chinese producers are not the only one to be blamed
here, we are paying heavy prices. The effect is severe, and serious
lessons need to be drawn," said Ju Jianwei, manager of the Jiangsu
Overseas Group Co., Ltd, a state-owned trade and investment company
in east China.
The Canton Fair gained 37.45 billion US dollars in value of
orders placed, a 2.9 percent rise compared with the previous
session.
Steve Barek, President and CEO of the Florida-based Micro flock
Textile Group Corporation, who had been to 12 sessions of the trade
show, said he believed the product safety issues were sporadic, and
most Chinese products are still favored over others for desired
quality at the lowest prices.
There was growth in some categories, but noticeably the value of
toy orders dropped by 10.7 percent to 900 million US dollars
compared with the previous session.
Industry analysts said the drop was mainly attributed to waning
confidence in China-made toys. Chinese Customs figures also show
September's toy export slipped 2.88 percent from August.
"We are trying to expel doubts and fears. We are doing more now,
with tougher material control and stricter standard manufacturing
procedures and more tests," said Zhang Chenhua, deputy general
manager of Goodlin Toys Co., Ltd, a Shanghai-based toy
exporter.
"At the same time, foreign technological standards are getting
higher and more stringent. We really need to gear up for that and
prove to the world that we are responsible companies and our
products are still reliable," Zhang said.
Like Zhang, many Chinese companies are seeking to walk out of
the shadows cast by the spate of product safety incidents.
"The recent food safety scare brought a lot of pressure, but we
are doing everything to make sure no hitches happen to our
products," said Zhang Jin, deputy general manager of Jiangsu
Cereals, Oils and Foodstuffs Import and Export Group Corp, at the
fair.
Zhang said his company had just got a "sizeable" order with a
British supermarket at the fair, and that proves "we have been
doing the right thing".
The trade show itself has also been tougher on product quality
rules for participants, vowing to kick out or even revoke
participation qualifications for companies found with product
quality glitches.
Chinese government has committed itself to better product
safety. It introduced a landmark recall system this summer,
launched a four-month-long nationwide product quality campaign, and
offered intensive training courses to domestic toy
manufacturers.
Deng Xuqi, deputy director of the Guangdong Provincial
Quarantine and Inspection Bureau, announced on Wednesday that the
province has just wound up a month-long campaign specifically
targeted on toys and food for exports.
Guangdong alone manufactures about 70 percent of the total
Chinese toys made for export.
A 100-member team dispatched by the bureau discovered problems
including substandard paint and loose parts in toys, after
inspecting more than 2,000 local exporters.
The bureau said it has withdrawn production licenses from 423
toy makers, suspended the licenses of 341 toy companies, and
ordered 690 others to improve their working practices.
Meanwhile, the bureau revoked the licenses of 160 food suppliers
and exporters in the province. About 200 others have been ordered
to suspend operation until they have cleaned up their act.
(Xinhua News Agency November 1, 2007)
