The government will continue its battle against shoddy products this year by speeding up legislation and framing 10,000 national quality standards.

Four quality control regulations will be drafted, including one on the import and export of food products and another on the recall of defective products.

Four existing laws, including the Law on Entry and Exit Animal and Plant Quarantine, will also be amended to ensure the effectiveness of new policies, Li Changjiang, minister of the General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine (AQSIQ), told a meeting on Friday.

His work plan for this year also includes the drawing up of 10,000 national standards and the revision of more than 9,500 outdated ones. The total number of national quality standards will reach 31,000 by the end of the year.

Li added that China would adopt more international standards. At the end of the year, 75 percent of national standards are expected to reach international levels, compared with the current 60 percent.

In addition, the administration plans to publish a White Paper on product quality in China.

Tougher measures will be taken to guarantee the quality of high-risk products such as toys, garments, furniture, paint and detergent.

Li said the country's crackdown on shoddy products last year had yielded positive results, but further efforts were required.

"We're facing great challenges, as well as opportunities, as quality issues are receiving unprecedented high attention from both the central government and the public," he told more than 200 quality control officers from across the country.

Administration spokesman Liu Deping told China Daily that the administration would also step up its international cooperation on product quality issues this year.

He said it plans to hold a high-level international symposium on product quality in China this year.

Meetings and negotiations are also being arranged with major trade partners such as the United States, the European Union and Japan.

The administration on Friday also announced the top 10 product quality events in China in 2007, including the establishment of a national leading group on product quality and food safety, the launch of a nationwide quality campaign, and the recall of about 10 million Chinese-made toys by Mattel, the world's largest toymaker.

(China Daily January 5, 2008)