Enterprises should take the lead in ensuring product quality in the marketplace and preventing the emergence of more shoddy goods, officials and experts said Sunday.
They said relevant laws are the weapons in the hands of enterprises to protect their own brands.
Governments at different levels, market regulators and law enforcement agencies should always be on the side of enterprises as the national campaign against shoddy products heats up.
The suggestions came from a product quality workshop organized by the China Association of Quality Promotion (CAQP) over the weekend in Beijing.
Jin Guang, deputy president of CAQP, said local protectionism is a major reason why fake products are able to reach consumers.
More than 100 enterprise and media representatives, officials and experts attended the workshop on Saturday.
Jin said manufacturers of bogus products should be punished harshly so they are deterred from again producing counterfeit goods.
He called for substantial rewards for people who provide tips to product quality inspectors.
"It will motivate all society to fight the manufacturing and selling of fake products," he said.
Jin also said fake products are still rampant in some areas.
"The reasons for the problem are various. Some regional officials still practise local protectionism and never focus on improving the quality of products.
"Weak supervision also exacerbates the problem. People and enterprises sometimes resort to violence to resist the enforcement of quality laws in some regions," he said.
In addition, enterprises also fail to combat counterfeit goods because it is costly and the enterprises are inefficient, Jin said.
Jiang Tianbo, an official with the Legal Affairs Office under the State Council, said the fight against fake products is a must now that China has become a member of the World Trade Organization.
"Low-grade and poor-quality domestic products cannot meet the demands of a globalized market," said Jiang.
(China Daily April 29, 2002)
