Summary :
Zheng Xiaoyu, the former head of China’s State Food and Drug Administration, was executed this week after his conviction for accepting massive bribes in return for certifying the sale of shoddy goods and fake medicines. It was meant as a warning to other corrupt officials. The scandals about the quality of Chinese products have now reached worrying proportions, threatening not only the country’s image, but also its foreign trade.
Chinese food products have killed many. Three years ago, tainted baby food products killed dozens of children. Many more Chinese, have died since, as a result of being treated with fake medicines, or being fed with rotten food. The World Health Organization estimates that food-borne diseases alone cost China up to S$22 billion a year in lost productivity and medical expenses.
Many of china’s difficulties arise from the fact that the country’s food production is highly fragmented. Thus, it was difficult to control even if China’s safety distraction worked well. Problems of quality control affect all emerging industrial nations such as Japanese and South Korean but this is no longer the case. China is likely to follow the same pattern. China’s main problem is the country’s obsessive secrecy, its instinctive reluctance to admit that its supervision mechanisms may be faulty, or that some officials tasked with ensuring product safety are corrupt.
However, this week, China’s State Food and Drug Administration publicly owned up that “its foundations are weak”, and launched a Programme to improve its supervision. Chinese companies are also beginning to understand that their reputation is on the line that quick profit is not worth years of bad reputation.
My opinion:
The article ended with “quantity cannot come at the expense of quality”. I agree with this statement to a large extent. Most China’s products are produced at a low cost due to mass production. However, the quality of the goods did not match up with the rise in quantity. Many have died due to the sale of shoddy goods and fake medicines. As a result of mass production, innocent victims have died. Who should be responsible for these deaths?
Corrupted officials are often blamed for these deaths as they failed to ensure that the food is safe for consumption. These are also very difficult to control since the nation is very big and the manufacturing process are fragmented into different areas.
However, China’s government and Chinese companies are starting to take notice of the importance of food safety and quality. In my opinion, this is a great sign. Government and firms play a great role in keeping food safe for consumption. This will ensure that food quality is up to standard even if the officials are corrupted as firms are beginning to know that quick profit is not worth years of bad reputation. Thus, in the long run, they may start to improve the quality of their products in order to build up their reputation and attract more consumers.
The signing of a new cross-borders health cooperation agreement between Singapore and China also showed that China is starting to shift their priorities towards better quality of its products. This can also help in international ties when countries cooperate to keep the quality of their products up to standard. This will help to build up the reputation of the countries and help in its economy instead of making quick profits in the short run and worsening of reputation in the long run.
In conclusion, I think that quality is more important than quantity of goods. Since the world is globalizing, international cooperation may be required to minimize the problem and improve the quality of goods as more goods are imported and exported among countries. Any unsafe products may prove disastrous for the country, both for its trade and reputation.
Qns that may be related to GP:
- Corruption is the main and sole cause of unsafe food. Do you agree?
- All food is safe for consumption today. Discuss.
- Quantity is more important than quality. Comment.
by huiting
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