Defending the overall quality of Chinese workmanship, Li Changjiang, director of the General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine, said recent export problems stemmed from ``different standards that China and the United States apply to different products.''

``That would lead to difficulty in defining whether a product is problematic,'' Li added at a news conference without elaborating.

His comments were the latest in China's effort to show it is striving to overcome safety woes and is a trustworthy manufacturer. But continuing discoveries of high levels of chemicals and toxins in Chinese goods - from toothpaste and clothes to fish and juice - are making that an uphill task.

This month, Mattel, the world's largest toy maker, recalled almost 19 million Chinese-made dolls, cars and action figures because they were contaminated with lead paint or contained small, powerful magnets that could damage a child's organs if swallowed. Source...