The government is to establish its first database on the inspection and quarantine of imports and exports to keep producers up to date with the latest safety requirements, the country's top quality control watchdog said yesterday.

 

Commodities in the database will fall into 154 categories under 14 major catalogs, such as animals and related products, plants and related products, food and food packaging, cosmetics, textiles, and chemical and mineral products, a statement from the General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine (AQSIQ) said.

 

The administration said the database will contain all technical and safety requirements available for specific types of goods so Chinese producers and relevant departments can have the latest information about safety standards.

 

"China exports and imports a huge amount of commodities every year. How to update the technical and safety standards with the importers and keep our producers informed of the changes has become a big concern," the statement said.

 

Key information in the database will be translated into English to let foreign authorities and importers have a better understanding of China's inspection and quarantine policies, as well as Chinese products and enterprises, the AQSIQ said.

 

The administration said it had started preliminary work on the database, using information on 4,000 different products. But it did not say when it will be ready for use.

 

The database is the latest move by the government to improve product quality.

 

In the past month, it has set up a Cabinet-level panel on food safety and product quality and drawn up a blacklist of illegal importers and exporters. It also issued a special regulation on better quality supervision, and a White Paper on food safety, and launched a series of crackdowns on unsafe production facilities.

 

The moves follow a spate of safety scares linked to the "Made in China" label worldwide. Unsafe food additives, toothpaste, seafood and toys from China have all been in the international spotlight in recent months.

 

However, while the government has stepped up its efforts to improve the quality of the country's exports, it has also recorded a growing number of unsafe foreign products, ranging from food and medical devices to mechanical and electrical products.

 

The AQSIQ said yesterday it had returned a batch of 272 pacemakers from the US because they failed to meet the Chinese safety standard for impulse amplitude.

 

It said it had urged local authorities to step up efforts to make sure imported goods, especially those in related to public health, were safe.

 

(China Daily August 21, 2007)