BEIJING, July 3 (Xinhua) -- China on Tuesday defended its recent export safety problems, saying it had taken a responsible attitude and made earnest efforts to ensure the quality and safety of Chinese exports.

    "China attaches great importance to the quality and safety of Chinese exports," said Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Qin Gang at a regular news briefing.

    Qin attributed the export problems to "misunderstanding", illegal producers and differences in the inspection systems and policies of China and other countries.

    Qin also urged the media not to exaggerate the problems. "We understand the concerns of consumers abroad about the food and medicine safety. Meanwhile we hope the media can cover the issue in an objective and rational manner," he said.

    "We are willing to carry out cooperation with other countries on product safety and quality," said Qin.

Survey: More than 80% of China's products up to standard

    BEIJING, July 3 (Xinhua) -- China's quality watchdog said on Tuesday that a sample survey shows 80.9 percent of products made in China for domestic consumption were up to quality and safety standards in the first half of 2007.

    The survey covered 7,200 different products from 6,362 enterprises, with an emphasis on food, everyday commodities and farming machinery and fertilizers, the General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine (GAQSIQ) said at a news conference on Tuesday.

    The administration found that 93.1 percent of products made by large enterprises are up to standards -- the figure was 84.2 percent for medium-sized enterprises and 72.9 percent for small enterprises. Full story