Yesterday, for the third time this year, Mattel announced a broad recall of toys manufactured in China. This most recent Mattel recall, similar to the two previous ones, involved the use of lead paint on the surface of the toys. In a video released by Mattel yesterday, Bob Eckert, the chairman and CEO of Mattel, apologized to consumers for the recall, and again related that oversight had been upgraded, but made no specific reference to China. Major news headlines, however, blare out the link to China--a message that Chinese officials are by now, quite anxious about.
In response to the string of recalls and warnings over Chinese-manufactured products, China has launched a four-month long campaign to weed out low-quality goods--and specifically targeting food, drugs, and toys. In conjunction with its efforts, China has launched a weeklong television series defending Chinese goods and criticizing the recent international uproar over its goods. However, the television program is seemingly aimed entirely at its domestic audience. As NPR quotes Sun Guoyou, a researcher at Fudan University--
The Chinese Government needs to do more. It's an external crises, not a domestic one. I believe Beijing wants to publicise the real situation to the foreign media, but it doesn't know how to deal with the foreign media.
The crisis seems much more of an issue for China's export-led growth than for its domestic market. So why is the government targeting its domestic audience? Is it mere bumbling, as Sun Guoyou suggests, or something a bit more suspicious?
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