Thomas Debrowski, toy giant Mattel's executive vice-president for worldwide operations, admitted on September 21 that the vast majority of the 21 million Chinese-made toys recalled were pulled off shelves because of a flaw in Mattel's design – not as a result of the work of Chinese manufacturers.
Li Changjiang, director of the General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine, recalled his conversation with Thomas Debrowski as "frank"; and said in a subsequent news briefing that he appreciated Debrowski's "impartial analysis" and his "responsible and honest explanations."
Mattel announced on August 2 the recall of 967,000 toys produced by Lida Plastic Toys Co. Ltd, a contract manufacturer of Mattel in Foshan city, due to the excessive amounts of lead contained in the toys. Following that, on August 14, Mattel announced again the recall of 18.2 million toys made in China.
The recall event resulted in a dramatic disturbance. Lida's boss, Zhang Shuhong, committed suicide under the pressure; some foreign media seized the opportunity to slander China-made toys; and officials from some countries even called to boycott Chinese toys.
Mattel's apology, coming after China had already paid a heavy price, demonstrated the attitude of an international giant who respects the facts and takes responsibility for its mistakes.
As the world's premier toy company, Mattel boasts an annual income of 5 billion US dollars; and has conducted business in China for 25 years, during which time, billions of toys were made. Sixty-five percent of Mattel's total annual sales are direct purchases from China. That is why its "recall order" shocked the world. Now, as the investigation by experts from both sides is deepened, the matter has cleared up. A news release from Mattel said: "The magnet-related recalls were due to emerging issues concerning design and this has nothing to do with the fact that the toys were manufactured in China." This undoubtedly defended innocence of the "Made in China" label throughout the world.
Mattel's solemn apology cleared the matter up, and responded to those media which reported on hearsay. It is fair to say that irresponsible reporting contributed much to the disturbance Mattel's recalls caused within international trade. In the eyes of some media, "Made in China" simply means being unsafe; and therefore must be boycotted in an outrageous manner. For a long time, some politicians, suspicious of China's rising economy, have joined the chorus against Chinese products without much thought. Behind the clamor is the "Cold War" mentality that either hurts both sides or obliterates the rules of world trade.
Therefore, the lesson to draw from the recall dispute is to remain calm when facing trade frictions; and analyze the reasons in an honest, pragmatic manner. Now more and more countries have refreshed their understanding of Chinese products. As an article in the Los Angeles Times put it on September 9, one would pay a heavy price to try and "fix" China-made products.
A person in charge from the General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine told press on September 11 that the 22 million pieces of toys recalled this year by US importers only made up 1/10,000 of the 200 billion toys China exported last year. The Chinese government pays close attention to such a small proportion, and handles quality problems according to the law. A campaign on commodity quality and food safety is rolling out all over the nation; and under such circumstances, Mattel's apology definitely highlighted China's determination and confidence in improving and defending what is "Made in China."
By Feng Chuangzhi, director of Foreign Trade and Economic Cooperation Bureau, Enping city, Guangdong; translated by People's Daily Online.</I>
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