The Chinese government is investigating charges that Chinese factories have been involved in supplying chemicals to illegal US laboratories that make anabolic steroids, the State Food and Drug Administration (SFDA) said on Saturday.

"We will find out the truth as soon as possible and if there are illegal activities, we will handle them according to the law," said Yan Jiangying, the SFDA spokeswoman.

The investigation was launched as soon as the Chinese government received the report on the case and a request for cooperation from the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), she said.

China will share information with its US counterparts and jointly fight against illegal production, sale and use of steroids, she said.

"But it is not appropriate for the US administration to charge China with a case that has not been proved yet," Yan said.

The DEA announced on Monday in Washington that 37 factories in China had supplied 26 underground steroid laboratories in the United States, according to Agence-France Presse.

According to the regulations on the import and export of steroids, domestic factories have to sign written contracts with foreign clients when asked to produce steroids and submit the contracts to local food and drug administrations for recording purposes.

Importers and exporters of steroids also need licenses granted by the food and drug administrations.

According to China's regulation on anti-doping issued in 2004, no individual and organization is allowed to produce and sell steroids without a license. 

(Xinhua News Agency September 30, 2007)