Eurasia And Eme Subcommittee on Europe

The Threat of China's Unsafe Consumables Eurasia And Eme Subcommittee on Europe

Ronald Reagan once said of the Soviet Union, "trust, but verify." In regards to Communist China, however, we cannot trust, nor can we verify. The People's Republic of China is a significant food exporter, especially of fruits, vegetables, seafood, and dairy products. Chinese industry has also become a major producer of drugs and chemicals used in both medicine and food processing, and in manufacturing as well. The health and safety not only of the United States and Europe, but that of people around the world has become dependent on the quality of goods imported from China. China producers are motivated to cut corners, dilute content, counterfeit products to maximize profits, and keep prices so low as to dominate export markets. Chinese supervision and regulation is weak and corrupt. Yet, the task of inspecting and testing Chinese goods is beyond the ability of governments.