China Charity, the country's largest charitable organization, will send officials to the United States to investigate a batch of donated goods that includes expired medical equipment and stained bedding and clothes.

A China Charity official, who declined to be named, was quoted by Sunday's Beijing News as saying that the organization contacted the donor, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Salt Lake City, Utah, immediately after finding out that the four containers of donated goods included expired medical equipment, tubing, dirty bedding and used surgical attire.

Officials will be sent to the US to look into how this happened, the official said, adding that the donor has offered cash equaling the value of the damaged goods to remedy the situation.

The four containers of donated goods is valued at US$4 million, two of which were sent to Wuhan, Hubei Province, one to Hefei, Anhui Province, and one to Beijing.

The donations were meant for setting up clinics in orphanages.

Richard Hunter, a spokesman for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Hong Kong, was surprised to hear about the situation, saying that the church only donates quality goods and their past donations to China have had no such problems.

The church donates humanitarian services to over 100 countries around the world.

(Xinhua News Agency December 12, 2005)