CHINESE GOVERNMENT DECLARES "WAR" ON TAINTED FOOD, DRUGS, AND EXPORTS

From Reuters:

China has launched a four-month "war" on tainted food, drugs and exports, state media reported on Friday, as beleaguered officials embraced time-tested campaign tactics to clean up the country's battered image.

Chinese Vice Premier Wu Yi told officials that the campaign, to run to the end of the year, would focus on problem products that have corroded domestic and foreign consumers' confidence in the "made in China" label.

"This is a special battle to protect the health and personal interests of the public and to protect the reputation of Chinese goods and the national image," Wu said, according to the government Web site (www.gov.cn).

She called the campaign a "stern political task" -- a reminder that officials' careers may be on the line.

Wu announced targets to clean up pig slaughtering, restaurants and canteens, pesticide use, food additives and the country's vital exports. "In some businesses the management level is low, production conditions are poor, quality levels and standards are low, and reliability is weak," she said.

Local officials may not share Wu's determination to move so fast, said the China Daily.

"Building an omnipresent monitoring and guarantee mechanism will prove a challenging mission for a four-month campaign," the paper said.