China and Southeast Asia on November 20 signed a pact on food safety at a regional summit here, pledging to cooperate to protect consumers and improve the handling of potential health threats. The agreement committed China and the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) to strengthen efforts to ensure the safety of food and agricultural products imported between them.
Food safety standards have "important significance in safeguarding human, animal and plant health and facilitating and promoting regional trade," it said.
China and ASEAN agreed in the food safety pact to establish a system to communicate laws, regulations and standards of the nations involved.
The system would also notify the 11 countries of "pests, diseases, poisonous and hazardous substances," it said, as well as setting out procedures for inspection and quarantine of food, animals and plants. In recent months, China has scrambled to clamp down on shoddy goods in a bid to build confidence in the "made in China" label.
That label has been tarnished by a string of safety scandals in recent months, with Chinese products ranging from seafood to car tyres to children's toys being subjected to bans and recalls overseas amid safety fears.
The government has said a four-month campaign launched in August is aimed at strengthening inspection and monitoring efforts, while tightening production licensing and labelling requirements.
China has also suspended imports of seafood and other products from Southeast Asian countries in recent months, including Indonesia, Vietnam and the Philippines, citing health reasons.
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