Market regulator launches random checks on product quality

BEIJING, March 15 (Xinhua) -- China's market regulator on Friday, World Consumer Rights Day, released the result of its random quality check on 30 types of products carried out at the end of last year.

Of the 2,786 batches of checked goods, from vacuum cleaners to building materials, 12.5 percent were found substandard, the State Administration for Market Regulation said in a statement.

Microwave ovens, food processing machines such as juicers, and printers were of the best quality with no inferior products were found. Ten categories including pens, stuffed toys, projectors and copper pipes saw over 90 percent of products above the quality standards.

Stainless steel gas hoses and cold-rolled ribbed bars were found to have the poorest quality, with an unqualified rate of 46.7 percent.

The quality inspection covered more than 2,400 producers.

The market regulator said it would step up follow-up checks on inferior-quality products and take forceful measures to ensure quality improvement. It added that producers that failed the checks, in particular those rejecting checks or having persistent poor records, would face severe punishment.

One batch of products proved counterfeit and was transferred to local authorities for further investigation.