Since China is still a developing economy, products from China (especially food) should not be trusted, nor should it be so widely distributed, until it becomes evident that Chinese products are rigorously quality-controlled to modern standards. It took some time for Japan and South Korea to get their quality up to snuff; I would expect China, being as large as it is and still widely in the grip of “to be wealthy is glorious,” to take far longer than that.

I mean, low quality is almost inevitable in a company that is run by the government (because it is supported by government funds, not by its own success; thus Chinese companies are far less concerned with really putting out high-quality, safe, reliable goods because they don’t have to in order to survive). Which is why so long as the PRC remains communist, the quality of its goods will continue to suffer and it will continue to produce unreliable, unsafe, and low-quality goods.

Since China is still a developing economy, products from China (especially food) should not be trusted, nor should it be so widely distributed, until it becomes evident that Chinese products are rigorously quality-controlled to modern standards. It took some time for Japan and South Korea to get their quality up to snuff; I would expect China, being as large as it is and still widely in the grip of “to be wealthy is glorious,” to take far longer than that.

I mean, low quality is almost inevitable in a company that is run by the government (because it is supported by government funds, not by its own success; thus Chinese companies are far less concerned with really putting out high-quality, safe, reliable goods because they don’t have to in order to survive). Which is why so long as the PRC remains communist, the quality of its goods will continue to suffer and it will continue to produce unreliable, unsafe, and low-quality goods.

http://www.cnbc.com/id/18922069

http://www.cnbc.com/id/18922069

In 2002, Japan banned vegetables from China for excess residual pesticide. A few years ago, my Dad got really upset because of Chinese oysters imported into Taiwan which were literally bleached to “preserve” the oysters. Not only was this extremely dangerous to consumers and hazardous to the Taiwanese oyster farming industry, it ruined the thought of having uh-ah-gen (蚵仔煎). THAT is simply egregious, in my opinion!

All of a sudden the US has now discovered what people in Asia have known for a long time: it’s the Wild, Wild East in China right now and there are no rules for consumer safety when there’s the opportunity to make a quick buck RMB.

Further info:
http://english.people.com.cn/200207/19/eng20020719_100000.shtml
http://english.www.gov.tw/TaiwanHeadlines/index.jsp?categid=10&recordid=101018

In 2002, Japan banned vegetables from China for excess residual pesticide. A few years ago, my Dad got really upset because of Chinese oysters imported into Taiwan which were literally bleached to “preserve” the oysters. Not only was this extremely dangerous to consumers and hazardous to the Taiwanese oyster farming industry, it ruined the thought of having uh-ah-gen (蚵仔煎). THAT is simply egregious, in my opinion!

All of a sudden the US has now discovered what people in Asia have known for a long time: it’s the Wild, Wild East in China right now and there are no rules for consumer safety when there’s the opportunity to make a quick buck RMB.

Further info:
http://english.people.com.cn/200207/19/eng20020719_100000.shtml
http://english.www.gov.tw/TaiwanHeadlines/index.jsp?categid=10&recordid=101018