DAMMAM, 25 October 2007 — A Saudi trade delegation currently on a visit to China requested the Chinese authorities to take immediate steps to guarantee that the commodities exported to the Kingdom meet the highest quality specifications. That could be achieved by tight quality control in line with the Saudi and international standards for all the goods exported to the Kingdom, the group said.
The 40-member Saudi delegation went to China in the wake of increasing allegations that some of the products exported by China have questionable quality and posed serious health hazards.
The charges against China included toys with toxic paints, contaminated seafoods and poisonous toothpastes. China has also been accused of violating human rights and environment regulations, business daily Al-Eqtisadiah reported yesterday.
The delegation also wanted to gather first-hand information about the charges to allay the concerns of Saudi consumers.
The delegation, which included representatives of the Saudi Development Fund, held several meetings with the concerned Chinese officials.
Ahmad Al-Romaih, deputy chairman of the Saudi-Chinese Business Council, presided over the meetings. “The meetings also discussed topics such as simplification of visa formalities for Chinese businessmen intending to visit Saudi Arabia, and familiarization in the expanding investment opportunities in the Kingdom,” Al-Romaih said.
