$ P `0 ?: q& x. d# ^由中国杭州中策橡胶有限公司(Hangzhou Zhongce Rubber)制造的这些轮胎缺少一层帮助加固轮胎、防止胎面分离的橡胶层——2000年，正是这个问题导致美国大规模召回凡世通轮胎(Firestone)。记者昨日未能联系到杭州中策的管理人员置评。 ; T- t) U; M3 i0 z! A# W7 K1 t1 x" w: y1 i9 n
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By Geoff Dyer in Shanghai / U# r. Q, W' }
Wednesday, June 27, 2007 $ \" h& ?/ D; C( a- \) l; F% H9 c+ | : E1 q( Q3 b& l" F- `; q! v- | # M" m2 U' C3 s6 ^& \1 tBEIJING'S SEIZURE OF US FOOD SEEN AS RETALIATION 9 F* P8 {. S7 a% B1 D7 k: a 5 i1 u; Y$ P6 J7 y- p7 bChina 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.! }5 ^4 L' Y# X! f
z( }4 j" a# q0 H+ tGovernment 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. " F! ^$ h$ g' j4 {; G % }4 Z. e2 F) U& C4 q0 xComing 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.0 K! Z. A, q% b* D' i1 y j
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The 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.: c2 }# K+ n2 P
4 c9 v P' W8 `! iChina'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.2 p7 A% `# y: ]3 L0 B2 R [
) v" T5 J: P: P6 iThe 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./ f/ F" o4 |) s c
. b; n6 P: B% n0 L: O- ]+ QThe agency's statement said local departments had been advised to “strengthen quarantine and inspections on food imports from America”. ! b5 Q0 r- o1 q8 S6 v$ Z 4 P+ S& G1 y4 u' o5 c/ h) t$ K( @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.”* L8 y" [" y t" w0 | Y
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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./ w1 K, W" t S6 A9 h H
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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. ; Q5 I8 L- a' z8 Y+ z( S" P ( |) O2 |5 `2 s7 A5 g8 \4 r3 j 2 X1 M! [! V( A' a6 X 6 j7 D% C* ?* i$ NFinancial Times
