China and Japan have sufficient wisdom to properly resolve the
dumpling poisoning case in Japan, said Chinese Foreign Ministry
Spokesman Liu Jianchao on Thursday.
"I believe the incident will not have impact on the upcoming
high-level visit between the two countries," Liu told a routine
news conference in Beijing.
Liu said the incident was an "isolated case" rather than a
systematic food safety problem, judging from investigation
results.
He said China has taken a highly-responsible attitude toward the
issue and carried out investigations immediately after learning the
dumpling poisoning case in Japan.
He called on both sides to form a joint team to make further
investigations into the case.
"Finding out the truth is vital to rebuilding Japanese
consumers' confidence in Chinese products and to normal economic
and trade cooperation between the two countries," Liu said.
Japanese media reports said 10 Japanese people fell ill in
December and January after consuming frozen meat dumplings produced
by Tianyang Food Plant based in north China's Hebei Province.
Japanese authorities found the insecticide methamidophos in the
vomit of those poisoned and in food packages at their houses.
Tests, however, showed the rest of the dumplings from the same
batches sold in Japan, totaling more than 2,000 packages, were
safe. So were all the other products made by the Chinese
company.
(Xinhua News Agency February 15, 2008)
