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Saturday, April 24, 2010

"BENDING BACKWARDS"-THE US "RESPONSE" TO CHINESE VIOLATIONS


America is a country with practicing dichotomy in every field of economic and political activity. While professing democracy, it invariably promotes dictatorship amongst its vassal states across the world. Terrorism has different meanings for this country as terror against the US is abominable but if the victim is India it is condonable! India and China get differential treatment at the hands of this country with the latter invariably being treated with "kid gloves". Any violation of food safety by Indian exporters gets harsh treatment where as repeated violations by Chinese are glossed over. Though violations are routinely reported there is no mutually agreed protocols for food trade between these two countries, in spite of high volume of bilateral food trade.

"China, which exports about two billion dollars each year in food products to the United States, is a top violator of American food safety standards, according to US authorities. In April, for example, the authorities rejected 257 Chinese food shipments, far more than from any other country. Regulators, in calling for more stringent import and food safety laws, now have an agreement between the Chinese government and the FDA, who have comitted to work towards a mutual agreement to improve inspections and overall safety of food products and drugs. Up to now, China and the FDA did not have a binding agreement on food and drugs; there were no standard safety regulations between the two systems, and no mechanisms in place to inspect food production facilities and secure travel visas for investigations. China is the second largest source of imports for the United States while the United States is China's largest overseas market and second largest source of foreign direct investment".

Whether it is the economic muscle power of China or their strong foreign policy orchestration that is responsible for this "respect" from the most "powerful" country in the world, one cannot be sure. The fact that China can cripple the economy of the US if it so desires, may be a factor weighing with successive governments in that country. In contrast India practices a "benign" foreign policy typical of a country with a soft "under belly" and it may be too much to expect that other countries would pay any genuine respect in the international arena.

V.H.POTTY
http://vhpotty.blogspot.com/
http://foodtechupdates.blogspot.com

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