Mattel apologises to China on toy recalls

US toy giant Mattel issued a startling apology to China Friday, saying the vast majority of recent recalls of Chinese-made products were due to design flaws it had committed itself.

"It is very important for everyone to understand that the vast majority of those products recalled were the result of a design flaw in Mattel, not through the manufacturing flaw in China's manufacturers," said Thomas Debrowski, Mattel's executive vice president of worldwide operations.

" Mattel takes full responsibility for those recalls," Debrowski told Li Changjiang, the head of China's General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine, the nation's top agency for product quality.

"I would like to apologise personally to you, the Chinese people and all of the customers who received toys that have been manufactured," Debrowski told Li at a meeting in Beijing, in front of a group of reporters.

The toy recalls have helped inflame a growing global scare about the safety of products produced in China, an issue that could potentially be damaging to the Asian export juggernaut.

Mattel has launched three large-scale recalls over high lead levels and small magnets that have seriously injured at least three children.

A total of 17.4 million toys were recalled because of loose magnets, while 2.2 million toys were recalled over impermissible levels of lead, according to a statement issued by Mattel.

The magnet-related recalls were due to the design and had nothing to do with whether the toys were manufactured in China, said the statement.

" Mattel does not require Chinese manufacturers to be responsible for the magnet-related recalls due to design problems," it said.

The statement suggested that too many toys had been recalled over lead concerns.

" Mattel is committed to applying the highest standards of safety for its products. Consistent with this, Mattel's lead-related recalls were overly inclusive, including toys that may not have had lead in paint in excess of US standards."

Debrowski said the recalls had been "very, very devastating" to Mattel, while also acknowledging "the issues this has caused for the reputation of Chinese manufacturers."

China, which has blamed the Mattel recalls largely on design faults by the company, appeared to accept the apology.

Li said in Friday's meeting he was pleased that Mattel had admitted that the vast majority of the recalls were due to design problems.

"I hope that through our common efforts and cooperation we can provide more high-quality toys for children around the world," he said.

"And I believe Chinese toys will bring joy to children from all over the world."

China is handing out severe punishment to Chinese manufacturers who are responsible for problems, Li said.

China has already made huge efforts to overhaul the toy industry, especially the export toy industry, and has either suspended or revoked the licences of 300 manufacturers.

"That demonstrates that the Chinese government attached a high level of importance to safety," Li said.

"Even if only one percent of our products have problems, we will pay 100 percent attention."

Li told Debrowski four Chinese people involved in the recall of the toys had been detained.

"The four suspects can expect criminal sentences," Li said, according to Xinhua news agency.

Li did not reveal their names but the four are alleged to have provided substandard paint to Lida Plastic Toys Co. Ltd, a contract manufacturer for Mattel, according to Xinhua.

China is the world's top toy exporter, selling 22 billion toys overseas last year, or 60 percent of the world's total.