China Targets Unqualified Toy Makers

A Chinese girl looks at the Barbie dolls on display for sale inside a department store in Beijing, China, Tuesday, Aug. 28, 2007. China launched a nationwide campaign Tuesday to weed out unqualified toy makers in the wake of a massive worldwide recall of Chinese-made toys, following two weeks after Mattel Inc., the world's largest toy maker, recalled almost 19 million dolls, cars and action figures made in China because they contained lead paint or tiny magnets that could damage organs if swallowed by children. (AP Photo/Andy Wong) (Andy Wong - AP)

Chen Xitong, an administration official, said the program would begin Tuesday.

It is part of a four-month program aimed at improving overall quality _ from food to drugs to consumer products _ as China fights to shore up its battered reputation as a safe exporter.

Also Tuesday, the Beijing News reported that the Beijing People's High Court upheld the death sentence of Cao Wenzhuang, the former drug registration department director of the State Food and Drug Administration.

Cao was sentenced to death last month for accepting bribes and dereliction of duty. He was given a two-year reprieve, which usually means he can get life in prison if he is deemed to have reformed.

Cao had been secretary to Zheng Xiaoyu, the head of the agency, in the 1980s. Zheng was executed in July for taking bribes to approve substandard medicines _ including an antibiotic blamed for at least 10 deaths _ and became a symbol of China's product safety crisis.

On Tuesday, about 6,000 Robbie Ducky Kids Watering Cans, made in China, were recalled in the United States because the beak of the watering can contains lead in the paint.

Also Tuesday, the European consumers' group BEUC called for tighter enforcement of EU toy safety laws, saying said recalled Mattel toys carried a European safety standards hallmark that was misunderstood by shoppers and should be scrapped.

BEUC director Jim Murray said most shoppers believe the hallmark means a product is made in Europe or has been tested by European authorities. Instead, he said the mark is "simply a self-declaration" by the manufacturer that the product complies with EU norms and is not backed up by any official check.

EU spokesman Ton van Lierop said the Commission would respond to the group, but declined immediate comment.

While Chinese officials have promised stricter supervision of the industry, they have also blamed what they say are varying global quality standards and faulty U.S. designs.

Li Changjiang, who heads the quality watchdog, said the recalled toys made up a small part of the 22 billion toys exported from China last year.