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Comment (BEIJING — A top European Union trade official urged China on Monday to make product safety a priority and do more to regain consumer confidence, prompting an angry response from Beijing.
China's growing importance as a global exporter has put its troubles with product safety under intense scrutiny after a series of scares over tainted goods, EU Trade Commissioner Peter Mandelson said.
"Some Chinese officials pointed out that less than 1 percent of China's exports to Europe had alleged health risks. But Europe imports half a billion euros ($750 million) worth of goods from China every day, so even 1 percent is not acceptable," Mandelson said at the opening of an international food safety forum in Beijing.
His comments angered Vice Premier Wu Yi, who heads a Cabinet-level panel to improve China's product safety. "I am very dissatisfied with Peter Mandelson's speech," Wu told reporters after the openin...
