China has established a blacklist of companies that have violated rules on the quality of exports, the commerce ministry said Saturday amid growing global concern about the safety of China-made goods.
"We have set up a blacklist system for companies in the exporting sector and punished some companies that have violated laws and regulations," Vice Commerce Minister Gao Hucheng said in remarks posted on the ministry's website. "Already 429 companies have been punished."
Gao said the recent examples of companies that had been targeted included two firms that illegally added a deadly chemical to food products blamed for killing thousands of US pets.
The two companies, Xuzhou Anying Biologic Technology Development Co Ltd and Binzhou Futian Biology Technology Co Ltd, had their export foreign trade licences revoked, Gao said. It appeared that the blacklist had been in existence for some time, but China's decision to publicise it now could be significant.
China is struggling to limit the negative fall-out of a series of recent scandals involving low-quality, shoddy and dangerous export products made in China.
US-based Fisher-Price said Wednesday it was recalling 967,000 toys including popular Sesame Street and Dora the Explorer-branded toys over fears their paint could contain excessive levels of lead. Other overseas health and safety scares to have tarnished the "Made in China" brand recently have included seafood, toothpaste and car tyres.
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