China tries to allay import fears

GUANGZHOU, China - Toy inspectors set fire to Elmo's bulging white eyes, tugged on Dora the Explorer's arms, and scraped paint off a Barbie playset - tests they called a routine part of efforts to make sure Chinese products are safe for American children.

On the defensive after a series of embarrassing recalls, China's government invited foreign journalists to go on factory visits yesterday in hopes of repairing the image of toy makers battered by global worries about the "Made in China" label.

No facilities tainted by recalls were visited, and executives wouldn't talk about troubles at competitors, but officials portrayed the sites on the one-day trip as fair representations of the high standards that China insists are followed by most of its export manufacturers.

The tour in southern Guangdong province - China's biggest toy-making region - came after Mattel Inc. removed 18.2 million Chinese-made items from store shelves. The dolls, cars, and action figures were contaminated with lead paint or equipped with small, powerful magnets that could damage a child's organs if swallowed.

Toys have not been China's only problem products in recent months. Toxic chemicals have been found in exports ranging from toothpaste to pet food ingredients.

China's leadership has acknowledged that some of its manufacturers cut corners and used substandard materials. But officials contend the problem involves only a relatively small portion of its factories and is unfairly sullying the reputation of the entire business.

"China's toy-making industry is actually very good. It is not messed up like the Americans say it is," said Zhong Dechang, a top inspection official in Guangdong, which accounted for 70 percent of China's toy exports last year.

Yesterday's tour took journalists to two huge factories, a small plant, and a government inspection center.

At the testing center - part of a network of 60 labs in Guangdong - workers in white coats and surgical masks scraped paint off plastic pieces from boxes labeled "Barbie hot tub party bus," a Mattel toy. The paint flecks were collected on white paper then sent to an in-house laboratory for chemical analysis.

"Some factories ask us to do these tests for them. With others, we force them to let us test their products," said Zhong.

The toy makers visited declined to discuss how common it is for companies to ignore safety standards.