BEIJING — The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission will set up its first office outside the United States in China in a bid to reduce the number of dangerous products reaching America.
Commission head Inez Tenenbaum told reporters Monday the “history making” office also aims to make it easier for the U.S. to raise concerns with the Chinese government about product-safety problems, such as faulty drywall and toxic metals in toys.
“Rather than rely on recalls to help us enforce our standards in the United States, (we will) move toward being more proactive and prevent problems from occurring in the first place,” said Tenenbaum. “By having a proactive preventative posture, we can reduce the number of recalls and keep our consumers safe and also prevent the loss of revenue and damage to a manufacturer’s brand.”
Tenenbaum said choosing China as the commission’s first overseas location made sense because 45 percent of the consumer products and 90 percent of all toys sold in the U.S. come from China and Hong Kong. The office will be inside the U.S. Embassy in Beijing.
