One Reason Why Were Not Complaining about Chinese Products

I wondered why the Chinese products safety issue was not making much noise here. It turns out that it's the Chinese who are doing the complaining..

According to a Yomiuri report, on September 5, Japanese METI Minister Akira Amari and Chinese Commerce Minister Bo Xilai held a bilateral meeting in Sydney, Australia, on the eve of the annual APEC Summit, where Minister Bo requested that Japan ease regulations on pesticide residues and additives in agricultural products.

A spate of food scares in 2002 over mainly excessive amounts of pesticide residues on Chinese spinach led to tighter inspections, regulations and in 2003 legislation that went into effect last year. According to the article, Chinese authorities have been seeking a rollback of these measures to no avail. METI Minister Amari pushed back in light of the most recent developments, demanding stricter measures and better disclosure.

This does not explain the lack of media attention to made-in-China toys and textiles, but it does address the most immediate concern over our nearest supply of fresh foods. Read on if you want more background..

So now I know at least part of the story. My excuse for my total ignorance? I was out of the country at the time.

What, Us Worry? The Chinese Product Safety Scare

China has its own "Oh, no, not again" problem, as WaPo puts Mattel's third recall of Chinese-made products on the first page of the Sept. 5 Business section. In fact, rarely a day seems to go by without media reports on the Chinese product safety issue. The public outcry seems to be quite substantial, and Congress is likely to pass legislation – mainly symbolic in the short run – that in effect targets Chinese exports to the US by the end of the year. The trail does not stop at the borders either, as the WaPo front page on the same day has another article that displays a less accommodating attitude to its Southeast Asian trading on the same issue.

Compared to this, worries and protests seem to be muted in usually safety-conscious, risk-averse Japan. True, grown-in-China eel disappeared from one of the nearby supermarkets (but not the other) more than a month ago, and I myself have been avoiding Chinese food products (but not Chinese food) when I have the choice, like buying twice-as-expensive domestic garlic. Still, the processed foods shelves continue to display a wide array of Chinese products and products with Chinese ingredients. I'm both too old and too young to have a handle on toys, but the formaldehyde-clothing scare that swept the US, Australia and New Zealand seems to have passed little noticed here.

Like I said, the Japanese public tends to be safety-conscious and risk-averse to a fault. Is it just the lack of domestic victims to stoke the fire? Heavy direct investments into China with concomitant product control easing public concerns? Lack of special interests lobbying against Chinese products? I don't have the confidence to offer any kind of definitive answer. In fact, I may be overestimating the difference between Japan and China on this issue. But I do think that it's real, and I'd like how you feel, and what, if you agree with me, the reasons are.

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As I wrote here, there will be times when it is the Japanese media that runs with the China angle. But note that Yomiuri carried it as a US news item, without any reference to any Japanese implications.