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China OKs US Health Inspections

Beijing renews objections to 'hyped' product safety concerns

By Kevin Spak,  Newser Staff

Posted Dec 11, 2007 10:08 AM CST

(Newser) – China will allow US health inspectors to monitor the country’s food and drug exports, the Washington Post reports, a big concession in heated high-level trade talks. China accuses the US media of tarnishing its reputation by overblowing safety concerns, and has in turn questioned US exports. China is the first of many countries the US hopes to station inspectors in.

HHS Secretary Mike Leavitt said inspectors would comprehensively monitor the supply chain; orange juice, for example, would be tracked “all the way back to an orange sitting on a tree.” Food safety was the number one item on the US agenda for this week's talks, which seek to ease simmering tensions over issues from safety to currency to the environment.

American cereal are on display at a supermarket, Monday Sept. 17. 2007 in Beijing, China. China has sharply increased inspections of imported U.S. food in a spat with Washington over product safety. Stung by U.S. restrictions on imports of Chinese food, authorities who used to inspect as little...
American cereal are on display at a supermarket, Monday Sept. 17. 2007 in Beijing, China. China has sharply increased inspections of imported U.S. food in a spat with Washington over product safety. Stung...   (Associated Press)
Chinese Vice Premier Wu Yi, right, and U.S. Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson toast after a signing ceremony for the 18th Joint Commission on Commerce and Trade at the Diaoyutai State Guest House in Beijing, China, Tuesday, Dec. 11, 2007. Chinese and U.S. officials gathered for the Chinese capital...
Chinese Vice Premier Wu Yi, right, and U.S. Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson toast after a signing ceremony for the 18th Joint Commission on Commerce and Trade at the Diaoyutai State Guest House in Beijing,...   (Associated Press)
A vendor sits behind a variety of vegetables at a backstreet market in Beijing, Monday, Sept. 24, 2007.  China said Monday it had boosted inspections of agriculture products nationwide in a bid to cut the use of banned pesticides and the overuse of animal feed additives and fertilizers. (AP Photo/Shuji...
A vendor sits behind a variety of vegetables at a backstreet market in Beijing, Monday, Sept. 24, 2007. China said Monday it had boosted inspections of agriculture products nationwide in a bid to cut...   (Associated Press)
U.S. Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson attends a ceremony to mark the opening of the New York Stock Exchange representative office at the Diaoyutai State Guest House in Beijing, China, Tuesday, Dec. 11, 2007. The New York Stock Exchange opened a representative office in Beijing Tuesday in a bid to...
U.S. Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson attends a ceremony to mark the opening of the New York Stock Exchange representative office at the Diaoyutai State Guest House in Beijing, China, Tuesday, Dec. 11,...   (Associated Press)
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