China defends food safety at Asian summit

By John Ruwitch

MANILA (Reuters) - China defended the "made-in-China" label on the eve of Asia's largest security forum on Wednesday and the United States said it attached great importance to the region despite the absence of its top foreign policy official.

Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi told U.S. Deputy Secretary of State John Negroponte that Beijing did not want a string of recent health scares connected with its exports blown out of proportion.

"We also oppose politicising the issue of Chinese products, and oppose trade protectionism and trade discrimination," Yang was quoted as saying by a foreign ministry spokeswoman.

Yang also defended Chinese goods in a meeting with Japanese Foreign Minister Taro Aso, a Japanese official said.

"Over 99 percent of Chinese exports to Japan have cleared inspections since 2004," Yang was quoted as telling Aso. "He repeatedly stressed that China attaches importance to food safety."

The official quoted Aso as telling Yang: "In the past there was an image of Japanese exports being cheap and shoddy. It took a long time to secure an image that their prices are high but their qualities are also high. China needs to make serious efforts."

The United States stepped up inspections of imports from China after a chemical additive in pet food caused the death of pets there this spring.

Since then, poisonous ingredients have been found in Chinese exports of toys, toothpaste and fish, while the deaths of patients in Panama were blamed on improperly labelled Chinese chemicals that were mixed into cough syrup.