BEIJING China has launched a new campaign to restore international trust in its products with a weeklong television series defending the country’s safety standards.
But new allegations of unsafe Chinese goods emerged Monday when New Zealand said it was investigating children’s clothing found to contain dangerous levels of formaldehyde. The chemical is used to give clothes a permanent-press effect and also as an embalming fluid and it can cause problems ranging from skin rashes to cancer.
The new television campaign titled “Believe in Made in China” follows discoveries of high levels of chemicals and toxins in a range of Chinese exports from toys to toothpaste and fish.
The first program in the series aired Sunday on China Central Television’s economic channel and featured the head of a quality watchdog criticizing the recent furor over the quality of Chinese exports as “demonizing China’s products.”
“Personally, I believe it is new trend in trade protectionism. Although recalls are necessary, it is unfair to decide that all products made in China are unqualified,” Li Changjiang, director of the General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine, said on the 90-minute segment.
Li said his department was doing everything possible to monitor product quality, especially after recalls of millions of toys by Mattel Inc., the world’s biggest toy maker, because of lead paint and small magnets that can be swallowed by children.
No injuries have been reported in last week’s global recall of 19 million toys, including Barbie and “Sarge” cars based on the character from the movie “Cars.”
“I’m here to tell you have faith in ‘Made in China,”’ Li told a group of foreign and Chinese executives and journalists invited to view the show.
The programs can be seen only in China.
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