China defends its brand as Mattel recalls toys

By James Pomfret

GUANYAO, China (Reuters) - China leapt to the defense of its products on Thursday after Mattel Inc. of the United States said it was recalling 1.5 million Chinese-made toys worldwide because their paint may contain too much lead.

The recalled toys made for Mattel's Fisher-Price unit include popular preschool characters like Elmo and Big Bird and dozens of other items. The case is the latest in a deluge of product safety scares that have tainted the "made in China" brand.

Vice Commerce Minister Gao Hucheng repeated the government line that Chinese products were overwhelmingly safe, and called on foreign media not to hype the problems of a small minority of goods or companies.

"When problems occur, we never shirk, have always sought truth from the facts and responsibly deal with them," Gao said in a statement on his ministry's Web site (www.mofcom.gov.cn).

Mattel has two sprawling plants in Guanyao, an hour's drive south of Guangzhou, capital of the booming southern Chinese province of Guangdong, but it was not immediately clear if they were connected to the tainted toys.

"I've heard others talking about this," one young worker told Reuters as heavy lorries, cement mixers and cargo containers rushed by on the dusty road between Guangzhou and Foshan. She did not elaborate.

Mattel said on Wednesday the toys were made by a contract manufacturer using a non-approved paint pigment containing lead.

Lead paint has been linked to health problems in children, including brain damage.