Recalls Our Fault, Mattel Tells China

The fallout from Mattel's recall of Chinese-made products took a bizarre turn today as the toy company apologized to Beijing and took the blame for design flaws in lead-tainted toys, AP reports. In a meeting with China's top product safety chief, a Mattel VP called the recalls "overly inclusive" and apologized for hurting "the reputation of Chinese manufacturers."

Falling on its own sword rather than alienate its largest producer, Mattel publicly atoned for "a design flaw" in its manufacturing process. Chinese minister Li Changjiang, battered by recall after recall of products, accused Mattel of maintaining weak safety standards. "I really hope that Mattel can learn lessons and gain experience from these incidents," said Li. (More toy recalls stories.)