9/7/2007
BEIJING : Chinese and Indonesian safety officials met to discuss product safety in an effort to curb escalating trade tensions over the quality of their exports, China's government said Friday.
The two sides have in recent weeks banned each other's products, citing the presence of dangerous toxins and chemicals. The moves come as Chinese goods ranging from toothpaste to seafood are under intense scrutiny because they have been found to contain potentially deadly substances.
Wei Chuanzhong, deputy chief of China's General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine, had "friendly talks" Wednesday with the group led by senior trade negotiator Halida Miljani, the AQSIQ said on its Web site Friday.
"China wishes to have close cooperation in all fields with Indonesia and promote sound development of bilateral trade based on a guarantee of health and safety," Wei was quoted as saying. "The two parties regard product quality and food safety as the common tasks of the international society."
His remarks came the same day China's Foreign Ministry condemned as "groundless" a report by The Washington Post newspaper that Beijing was bullying less-developed countries that complained about the quality of its exports.
Citing Husniah Thamrin, Indonesia's head of the Drug and Food Monitoring Agency, the paper said Beijing told Jakarta to consider lowering the country's standards after Indonesia found chemical contamination in a variety of Chinese-made imports.
Husniah was quoted as saying she was "very upset and very surprised."
The Philippines and Malaysia have also been subject to similar treatment and other tit-for-tat measures, the Post said.
Also Friday, the state-run China Daily newspaper reported the visiting Indonesian delegation said it "regretted" an Aug. 28 report in the Jakarta Times that accused China of exporting contaminated food.
"There was no intention by the Government of the Republic of Indonesia to discredit China," the China Daily said, citing minutes from the meeting.
The paper said Halida, the chief envoy, considered Chinese products of a "very good quality."
Husniah and Halida could not be immediately reached by telephone for comment.
Last month, China's food regulator announced it banned all Indonesian seafood imports after checks turned up mercury and cadmium, metals that can accumulate in water and soil as a result of industrial processes. Both have been linked to nerve damage and cancer.
It also said products had been found to contain nitrofural, an anti-bacterial agent that has been found to potentially cause cancer in laboratory animals, as well as disease-causing pathogens.
Indonesian officials said then the move appeared to be a reaction to an import ban imposed in July on Chinese food supplements, cosmetics and medicines over safety concerns.
Tests ordered by Indonesia found some Chinese cosmetics contained mercury, medicines with unauthorized chemicals, and food supplements had additives that were dangerous to the health.
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