* h4 ]/ Q, P. n" F4 \中国以产品不安全为由扣留了两批来自美国的食品，并警告要加强对美国输华食品的检验检疫程序。 ( N y |( j( P- y [9 t/ o n' \. L6 y中国食品安全检查部门昨日在其网站上表示，政府检查人员分别截获了从美国船运来的柳橙果肉和杏脯，因为这些产品含有过量的细菌和霉菌。 2 |& `3 K C7 v/ \8 @ 0 e+ F& x. V7 q+ m2 p2 T由于美国不久前爆发了一系列有关中国进口产品的质量丑闻，因此，很多进口商会将这项公告视为中国官方的一种报复。2 M5 n' \% d: p; K' q' U
. w/ p* L+ n( F# L! M在声明发布前一天，美国监管机构宣布召回一家中国公司制造的多达45万个轮胎，原因是这些轮胎存在安全隐患。& g. _/ y+ N8 J U
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中国国家质量监督检验检疫总局(General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine)表示，柳橙果肉是在东部省份山东查获的，杏脯是在深圳查获的。' q. I5 N" ^* \* u( p: u: V1 P2 k
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质检总局表示这些货物“细菌总数、霉菌和二氧化硫含量超标”，但没有具体说明查获的时间和数量。9 B0 Y! `; b# ^0 f9 p0 P
6 }$ `5 y. r4 W( o/ t4 n2 B该机构在声明中表示，已要求地方质检部门“加强对美国输华食品的检验检疫”。, d- ^3 c. d7 y1 i
, L- Z: Q& {" o6 l6 ]. h某欧洲贸易公司驻上海的一位高管表示：“没有看到关于这些货物的细节，我们说什么都没有把握，但显然，这看起来像是要引开人们对中国及其自身质量问题的关注。”4 u9 t) \2 h$ N1 b B' F
$ i9 Q0 w* N. m& ]( i+ }3 t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。 . R$ e2 S: F/ m5 F) H( I U1 o9 _- h( o
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By Geoff Dyer in Shanghai + m0 o" [5 N) U# l; ^$ s
Wednesday, June 27, 2007 . ^$ _2 G A9 W) b) p, E0 s+ P+ r2 a" B4 `8 K/ h- Z
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BEIJING'S SEIZURE OF US FOOD SEEN AS RETALIATION + t. x9 K5 `4 E# R( j % L$ y- ~$ J* e: H9 cChina 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. F/ W0 \1 E9 k3 Q, z
- R$ o/ a/ l, I. z2 O3 C0 hGovernment 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. - k7 N' N* ?% V: o) X. V6 F6 t& D- ~- g, Q, w3 X ~9 |) A) V
Coming 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. 8 [% V# T% J u3 | , `" a: v, p: j8 Z7 p- @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. o" i, s9 M; ^
) T+ B% w' O% ^- o* s3 l# I( H: y9 uChina'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.6 e5 z5 ~8 l) G6 s5 F
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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. 3 I& d. z1 h8 G# l( k 9 {% O. M% Y9 r% u1 x! bThe agency's statement said local departments had been advised to “strengthen quarantine and inspections on food imports from America”.) a9 B {) W; [& `% O5 d
c+ u1 V F2 X) k5 d3 L. o# ^/ i6 m3 qAn 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.” 8 i7 m" }6 M6 A" a2 I5 `/ ]# e. n4 w: x# l. g4 j% Q
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." \( N6 J+ S. v
- c/ l% `3 u& S g3 s8 f1 G$ cThe 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. Q; b& x& N3 J7 \8 m8 r6 L7 @9 p
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