2 P+ h) M, z: N' N8 x + h9 I2 N0 _7 QBy Geoff Dyer in Shanghai ! Y0 R2 Q5 z* r% z ]4 y
Wednesday, June 27, 2007 ) Q1 a4 d! S% E4 H9 E# x+ }% y, \2 I+ R/ v% V6 c+ g
* g# c& P$ `( oBEIJING'S SEIZURE OF US FOOD SEEN AS RETALIATION: [: s& O- J) F4 ~, M
3 G+ @& ^( k+ z+ }China has impounded two shipments of food from the US on the grounds that the produce is unsafe and warned that procedures for monitoring American food imports should be tightened. 4 V% y0 @) p# \3 ~7 Z . w9 `" J$ Y- @/ z0 UGovernment inspectors seized separate shipments of orange pulp and apricots from the US because they contained excessive bacteria and mould, China's food safety inspectorate said yesterday on its website. 4 A1 f6 L: X4 a5 y3 w p7 z, h' g: e. C& A, @+ D: L, mComing on the back of a series of scandals in the US over the quality of imported goods from China, the announcement will be considered by many importers as a form of retaliation by the Chinese authorities. 7 P7 b) }( b; V. a9 G( v v0 Z - U) d7 |- T2 T2 iThe statement comes one day after regulators in the US announced a recall of up to 450,000 tyres manufactured by a Chinese company because of a potentially dangerous safety problem.4 {- z9 a" Q' F, N8 ?; B) B
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China's General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine said it had impounded the orange pulp in the eastern province of Shandong and the apricots were seized in Shenzhen. . p4 i- q8 P- ]6 b# A5 P, Q N$ i6 Q. d
The shipments contained “excessive bacteria, mould and sulphur dioxide”, the agency said, but gave no details about when they were impounded or how big the shipments were. - X) N: B# I5 o0 N- o 7 ^; @7 A; C9 A% y& y( C) T4 cThe agency's statement said local departments had been advised to “strengthen quarantine and inspections on food imports from America”.! c9 f: ]! z1 N1 T# l4 q
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An executive at a European trading company based in Shanghai said: “We cannot say anything for sure without seeing details about the shipments, but it certainly looks like a way of deflecting some of the attention away from China and its own quality problems.”4 F: ~0 ^% D2 D4 j
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The US government's National Highway Traffic Safety Administration announced on Monday the recall of tyres sold by Foreign Tire Sales, a New Jersey distributor, which are used in vans, sports utility vehicles and pick-up trucks.; q* ]- u/ S# f% S$ d: a0 {9 Q+ J9 y
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The tyres, made by a Chinese company called Hangzhou Zhongce Rubber, lacked a gum strip that helps strengthen the tyre and prevent tread separation – the problem that caused a massive recall of Firestone tyres in the US in 2000. Officials at Hangzhou Zhongce could not be reached for comment yesterday. 0 D8 I4 w( l. I, l+ ~/ T+ J2 X: d0 u" T4 H
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Financial Times
