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Of all the recalls made, 80% of them had to do with design flaws on Mattels part, not lead paint. Some executive thought he could hoist the blame on China because everyone in the US is a xenophobe, and the Chinese are having none of it.
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Many Chinese export products of various types, including toys, tires, foods and toothpaste, have been banned and/or recalled as unsafe.
NPR: List of Problem Chinese Imports Grows
The problem overall is not xenophobia but rather poorly enforced safety and quality control standards of Chinese exports. The Mattel case is but one in a long litany of unsafe products from China. Maybe Mattel bears significant responsibility too in that instance but that doesn't weigh on the larger picture.
Excerpts:
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"After initally guaranteeing the safety of the country's products, Chinese officials admitted Tuesday, after much international pressure, that "as a developing country, China's current food and drug safety situation is not very satisfactory."
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"The FDA increased inspection of toothpaste made in China after reports that some of the products may contain an ingredient used in antifreeze. The ingredient, diethylene glycol, is a thickening agent not normally used in toothpaste. The chemical has been used as a low-cost, but sometimes deadly substitute for glycerin – a sweetener commonly used in drugs. Diethylene glycol was found in three products manufactured by Goldcredit International Trading in China: Cooldent Fluoride, Cooldent Spearmint and Cooldent ICE. The FDA also found the chemical in Shir Fresh Mint Fluoride Paste, which is manufactured by Suzhou City Jinmao Daily Chemical Co. The FDA is not aware of any poisonings from toothpaste, but has found that the toothpaste was distributed in some U.S. bargain retail stores, including a Dollar Plus in Miami and a Todo A Peso in Puerto Rico. The toothpaste also was shipped to prisons in North Carolina and Georgia and hospitals in Florida and Georgia. The same chemical found in the toothpaste was blamed for the deaths of 51 people in Panama after they ingested tainted cough medicine. China has said it was the source of the deadly diethylene glycol, but says that it was originally labeled "for industrial use only."
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"Andres Leighton/APU.S. regulators have ordered tire importer Foreign Tire Sales, based in Union, N.J., to recall as many as 450,000 tires. The company reported that the treads on light-truck radials manufactured by Hangzhou Zhongce Rubber Co. in Hangzhou, China, might separate. Foreign Tire Sales said many of the tires are missing a safety feature called a gum strip, which helps bind the belts of the tire to each other. The gum strip prevents tread separation, which can cause a tire to blow, possibly making a driver lose control of the vehicle and crash. The Chinese-made tires were sold under at least four brand names: Westlake, Compass, Telluride and YKS. The tires, which were sold for use on vans, sport utility vehicles and pickups, have been linked to at least two deaths in accidents involving tread separation. "
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"Wheat gluten imported from China was linked to the deaths of pets nationwide earlier this year. The FDA blocked the import of wheat gluten from Xuzhou Anying Biologic Technology Development Company in China, saying it suspected the gluten was contaminated with melamine, a chemical used to make plastic products. The tainted food caused kidney failure in dogs and cats across North America. Distributors of the contaminated food recalled several varieties, following the deaths. "
Wouldn't it be expectred that a rapidly growing and expanding market's such as China's international export market would have a period of struggle and adjustment before everything is smooth? What amazes me is that people are so quick to cry "Xenophobia!" on a myriad of issues, when there are actually genuine underelying reasons for caution or prudence. The whole world
isn't as advanced as the USA in most ways, you know, and it isn't xenophobia to display a healthy skepticism on some matters involving foreign input especially where major problems have been identified. The few items cited in the linked article are just some of the m,ost prominent cases; the list is actually huge. And many faulty Chinese products which have been refused entry at our ports, are later resubmitted for entry - the exact same items, sometimes at different ports. Of course, the USA only checks or inspects a small percentage of total imports.