China to Send Inspectors to U.S.

The government unveiled on Tuesday major initiatives to ensure that imports, exports and domestic consumption of food conform to the highest standards.

To keep a stringent check on imports from the United States, China will send food and drug quality control officials to the country — following the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) opening its offices in China, senior officials said.

To ensure the safety of domestic consumption, the government plans to set up three State-level food safety committees and two nationwide monitoring networks.

Health Minister Chen Zhu said the move to dispatch officials to the US was based on the "principle of equality".
 
"Following the opening of the three US FDA offices in China this week, we will also station our quality officials in the US in the near future," Chen said in Beijing at a joint press conference with his US counterpart Mike Leavitt, Secretary of Health and Human Services.

The officials headed to the US will come from the General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine (AQSIQ) and the State Food and Drug Administration (SFDA), Foreign Ministry spokesman Qin Gang said at a separate briefing.

"We believe such arrangements (sending quality control officials to each other's country) will improve cooperation and communication in food and drug safety issues," Qin said.

No timetable has been set for the Chinese officials' posting, Chen said.

Source: China Daily