China must ensure export safety-US Commerce chief
Reuters
Reuters - 2 hours 30 minutes ago
WASHINGTON, July 12 - The Bush administration has made "very clear" to China it must act quickly to ensure the safety of its exports to the United States, U.S. Commerce Secretary Carlos Gutierrez said on Thursday.
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"What we've told the Chinese is they have to do this now. This is something they need to take extremely seriously," Gutierrez told Reuters in an interview.
A series of Chinese product recalls and food scares has heightened concern about the safety of goods from China, which has surpassed Mexico and Japan in recent years to become the United States' second-largest trading partner.
Sen. Charles Schumer, a New York Democrat, has demanded the Bush administration appoint an "import czar" to protect U.S. consumers against potentially harmful Chinese products.
