A Chinese quality watchdog official reassured Wednesday that Chinese-made toys are safe and guaranteed for quality.

 

"I'm confident that with all the measures we have taken, China-made toys are assured to be both quality and safe products," Li Changjiang, director of the General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine, said at a news briefing on the sideline of the Third China-U.S. Strategic Economic Dialogue.

 

Li said that the administration has strengthened inspection over toy production, processing and export through certification, and set up files for material providers for the toy manufacturers.

 

He said the administration also decided to perform safety checks on toy designs provided by foreign buyers, in response to toy recalls caused by faulty designs.

 

Li said he had personally inspected a Chinese toy-maker based in the southern province of Guangdong, and found out "the recalls did not affect the company's toy production, but instead, the orders increased 10 percent ahead of Christmas."

 

"Nice and inexpensive Chinese toys will win the hearts of children around the world," Li said.

 

China is the world's biggest toy exporter. In 2006, it sold 22 billion sets of toys overseas, about 60 percent of the globe's total.

 

Customs statistics show Guangdong, China's main toy production base, saw a year-on-year 22.9 percent growth in toy exports in the first ten months.

 

In response to food and toy scares, the Chinese government held a four-month crackdown on product safety, particularly toys and food stuffs, and also initiated intensive training sessions for toy makers to improve their knowledge of international product standards and safety awareness.

 

(Xinhua News Agency December 13, 2007)