Toys produced in China that children will receive this Christmas will be safe, stated Li Changjiang, head of the Chinese product safety agency, on Wednesday, promising that issues regarding the use of hazardous lead paint will be resolved in time for holiday exports.
The leading figure in product safety oversight said that differences with the United States regarding how much lead paint can be used in toys have been resolved. "Before Christmas, we will definitely deliver safer, better, and more attractive children’s toys. They will surely like them," said Li, head of the quality supervision administration, on the sidelines of a food safety conference. China has become the center of the global toy industry. Last year, it exported toys worth $7.5 billion, of which nearly 87 percent went to the United States, according to data from the Chinese Ministry of Commerce.
However, the number of questions regarding the quality of Chinese toys, food, and other products has increased in recent months following a series of product recalls and import bans. The largest American toy company, Mattel, recalled Chinese-made toys three times this summer, removing millions of Barbie playsets, cars, and other products from the market due to hazardous levels of lead or magnets that could easily detach. On Tuesday, Chinese and American product safety officials in Washington signed an agreement banning the use of lead paint in toys exported to the U.S. market. (H)
