China signed an agreement Tuesday to prohibit the use of lead paint on toys exported to the United States, in the wake of the recalls of millions of playthings decorated with paint containing the toxic metal.

The pact was unveiled at the second joint US-China summit on consumer product safety. In the pact, China also pledged to step up inspections of its exports and take other steps to ensure that those products meet US standards, said Nancy Nord, acting head of the US Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC). That will include joint efforts by the two countries to increase understanding of those standards among manufacturers and exporters.

The absence of such an understanding allowed paint suppliers to provide lead paint to companies making toys sold by Mattel Inc and other companies, said Wei Chuanzhong, vice minister of China's General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine. Lead paint has been banned on toys made in the US since 1978.

"That's why we decided we should intensify the exchanges between importers and exporters in the field of standards," Wei said.

US and Chinese regulators also agreed to hold regular product safety talks, including monthly discussions of recall activity and trends, Nord said. China also will help CPSC trace products to their source when problems do arise.

The United States and China also agreed to cooperate on improving the overall safety of the latter country's toy exports, as well as fireworks, cigarette lighters and electrical products.

"This is an important signal from the Chinese government that it is serious about working with CPSC to keep dangerous products out of American homes," Nord said.

But Wei stressed that most Chinese exports are safe, echoing a line that China repeatedly has used in defending the quality of its products. While acknowledging more could be done, Wei said that 100 percent safety was impossible and warned against overemphasizing what he characterized as limited problems.

"We should not over-propagandize the problem," Wei said.

China has faced stiff pressure this year after an array of its exports, including toys, pet food ingredients, fish and jewelry, have been recalled over health and safety concerns.

Mattel Inc, the world's largest toy company, announced a third major recall of China-made toys in more than a month on September 4 because of excessive amounts of lead paint. The latest action involved about 800,000 toys.

Mattel Inc recalled 18.2 million toys made in China on August 14, about half of them sold in the United States, because they contained lead paint or tiny magnets that could damage organs if swallowed by children. Mattel said the recall covered 63 different toys, made since 2002 and sold before January of this year, including 44 Polly Pocket toys, 11 Doggie Day Care toys, 4 Batman toys, a One Piece toy and two Barbie toys.

On August 1, Mattel's Fisher-Price division said it was recalling 1.5 million China-made pre-school toys featuring characters such as Dora the Explorer, Big Bird and Elmo because of lead paint. That action included 967,000 toys sold in the United States between May and August.

(China Daily September 12, 2007)