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### Viewing cable 07GUANGZHOU836, Consumer Product Safety in South China

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Reference ID | Created | Released | Classification | Origin
--- | --- | --- | --- | ---
07GUANGZHOU836 | 2007-07-25 07:45 | 2011-08-23 00:00 | UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY | Consulate Guangzhou

`

    VZCZCXRO1726
    RR RUEHCN RUEHGH RUEHVC
    DE RUEHGZ #0836/01 2060745
    ZNR UUUUU ZZH
    R 250745Z JUL 07
    FM AMCONSUL GUANGZHOU
    TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 6299
    INFO RUEHOO/CHINA POSTS COLLECTIVE
    RUEAIIA/CIA WASHDC
    RUEKJCS/DIA WASHDC

` `

    UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 GUANGZHOU 000836

    SIPDIS

    SENSITIVE
    SIPDIS

    E.O. 12958: N/A
    TAGS: ETRD ECIN EINV PGOV CH
    SUBJECT: Consumer Product Safety in South China

    BUSINESS-SENSITIVE

    REF: Beijing 4808

    ¶1. (U) SUMMARY: At a time when the safety and quality of goods being
    exported from China -- not just to the U.S. but elsewhere in the
    world, from the Philippines to Europe -- has been called into
    question, foreign companies in this consular district, especially in
    the Pearl River Delta, are looking at best practices and retooling
    the methods they use to protect the integrity of their goods and, as
    importantly, their name.  "Due diligence" may be an old phrase in
    the lexicon in the West, but in some places in China it is a new
    catchphrase.  Companies without in-house quality control operations
    are increasingly depending on third-party inspectors for the
    certifications necessary to export their goods to the U.S. market.
    Insurance companies are ready, willing and able to sell liability
    insurance so that U.S. companies can protect themselves, but those
    same companies often perform but the most cursory of due diligence
    before issuing policies. For some insurers, like AIU, which are
    intent on educating the Chinese about product liability, this likely
    spells the beginning of a very, very lucrative market.  END SUMMARY

    Keeping South China Reliable -- It's all in the Details
    --------------------------------------------- ----------

    ¶2. (SBU) Although the cost of sourcing products destined for the
    U.S. market is generally less competitive in South China than other
    rural regions in the Greater China area, factories in this consular
    district tend to be and are considered far more reliable -- which
    accounts for the cost premium in the Pearl River Delta's favor.
    However, Jake Phipps, CEO of U.S.-based Import Agency BCD, Inc.,
    warns against sourcing directly from a factory without first
    obtaining the assistance of an agent or regional representative.
    This is critical when doing business without a detailed contract in
    place, as factories will generally look to save money by altering
    specifications and safety standards.

    ¶3. (SBU) When asked how the recent wave of U.S. litigation over
    China product safety has changed their business practices,
    businesspeople in the region unanimously responded that while their
    approach to due diligence has not been altered, since many were
    already investing substantially in this up front, their insistence
    upon detailed specifications in supplier contracts has increased
    exponentially.  In short, importers are increasingly looking to
    protect themselves by giving their suppliers little or no
    contractual latitude to avoid responsibility for non-compliant
    goods.

    Third-Party Inspectors Lending a Helping Hand
    ---------------------------------------------

    ¶4. (SBU) Consensus among business professionals in the region is
    that local third-party inspection companies (TPICs) can be relied
    upon only/only when dealing with low-risk product liability items.
    For instance, BCD, Inc., which consults primarily on transactions
    involving building materials, almost exclusively relies upon Chinese
    TPICs to provide its inspection certificates.  This practice is not
    without its share of risks.  According to BCD's CIO, Eli Ben-Avner,
    in the past two years alone, the company has had three reports of
    inspectors being bribed by local factories to submit fraudulent or
    inaccurate inspection reports.

    ¶5. (SBU) In contrast, U.S.-based kitchen appliance importer Aroma
    Housewares has only received one fraudulent inspection report in its
    25 years of doing business in South China.  The difference probably
    lies in the TPICs retained by each company.  Since Aroma's products
    are used by U.S. consumers in food preparation, the FDA regulates
    its imported shipments; local Chinese TPICs' certificates will not
    be recognized by the FDA.  According to Grace Wang, Head
    Merchandiser for Aroma in Guangzhou, the company relies solely on
    certificates from internationally well regarded Swiss-based TPIC,
    SGS, which issues FDA-standard inspection approvals to Aroma's
    factory suppliers. The suppliers sell the product to Aroma, which
    imports it for U.S. distribution.  NOTE: The cost of this process is
    substantially reduced when selling to other regions, such as South
    America, because South America does not demand FDA-equivalent
    standards.  In this case, Aroma utilizes an entirely different
    production facility, and relies on local Chinese TPICs for its
    inspection certificates.  END NOTE.

    ¶6. (SBU) While factory insurers do not typically require TPIC
    reports before issuing insurance certificates, an exception is
    occasionally made for electrical products.  According to Simon Foo,
    General Manager of AIU Insurance Co. in Guangzhou, who is organizing
    product liability seminars for Chinese companies (and who hopes in
    the process to increase the amount of product liability insurance
    sold by AIU), this practice is due to the failure of electrical
    production facilities in South China to meet international UL
    minimum standards, as required by the U.S. and other Western

    GUANGZHOU 00000836  002 OF 003

    markets.  Foo remains confident, however, that those products, which
    are eventually exported to Western markets from South China, are
    generally safe, particularly since UL can be tracked online to
    prevent the issuance of any fraudulent certificates.

    Investing in Due Diligence
    --------------------------

    ¶7. (SBU) Companies importing from South China appear to be investing
    substantially in due diligence by their suppliers.  Aroma Housewares
    is acutely aware of the potential costs imposed when a company fails
    to take such measures.  In 2002, the company was forced to recall
    over 100,000 juicers that it had imported from China, due to more
    than 32 reports of injuries suffered by American consumers who had
    purchased the faulty product.  Since that time, Aroma has invested
    heavily in product development, employing a full-time staff of
    engineers whose sole responsibility is to visit the factories daily
    and inspect for compliance.  According to Lisa Huang, Chief
    Representative for Aroma in China, the decision was an easy one.
    The added costs pale in comparison to those incurred from
    product-liability class action suits.

    ¶8. (SBU) In a similar vein, companies with a strong brand find it
    imperative to protect their reputation for producing quality goods.
    Tupperware Product Marketing Director Jonathan Cox did not appear
    worried about the recent China product quality scandals, noting that
    the company's quality control section was "anal" about quality, and
    that "97 percent" of Chinese factories were not up to Tupperware's
    standards.  He also noted that Tupperware's marketing strategy was
    based on product quality, not price (its competitors' prices are
    generally one-tenth those of Tupperware), so quality control was a
    top priority.

    ¶9. (SBU) Not everyone in the region has learned this valuable
    lesson, but the message does appear to be getting through to most.
    When asked about the division of their production costs, the
    overwhelming majority of companies with suppliers in South China
    stated that a major percentage of their resources are spent ensuring
    product safety and specification compliance.  Companies like IAS
    Electronics in Shenzhen almost exclusively invest in product
    compliance and factory due diligence.  According to an IAS China
    representative, to do otherwise would likely guarantee
    specifications short of the internationally-recognized ISO quality,
    and the company would be left with a warehouse full of product and
    no market willing to accept its distribution.

    Insure or Beware
    ----------------

    ¶10. (SBU) To provide added protection, most companies sourcing
    products from South China are now insisting that their factory
    suppliers have insurance certificates, both for warranty compliance
    and product-liability suits.  Due to reports of fraudulent
    certificates surfacing in the past, companies are further demanding
    that policies be issued by large insurance companies, such as AIU,
    which already have online tracking mechanisms in place to prevent
    any fraudulent certifications.

    ¶11. (SBU) Surprisingly, insurance companies, which would like to
    reap the windfall on liability premiums, often do not appear to be
    investing much in due diligence prior to issuing policies to local
    factories.  According to Tracy Zhang, Manager of Casualty
    Underwriting at AIU's Guangzhou Branch, this is partly due to the
    insurance companies' own lack of resources.  As Zhang explains, it
    would simply not be cost-effective to thoroughly investigate each
    factory before issuing insurance certificates.  Instead, insurance
    companies in the region will typically choose to avoid issuing
    policies to certain "high risk" industries altogether. (See
    paragraph 13, below.)

    ¶12. (SBU) AIU's General Manager Simon Foo, nevertheless, does not
    rule out the possibility that the company might occasionally engage
    in factory due diligence prior to issuing a comprehensive insurance
    policy.  According to Foo, the decision to do so does not depend on
    the product, but rather on the source of procurement.  For instance,
    if the factory is supplying goods to a low-level importer for the
    U.S. market, AIU will almost never investigate the factory
    operations.  If, however, the factory is supplying goods directly to
    Wal-Mart, AIU considers it mandatory to conduct a thorough
    background investigation before offering an insurance certificate.
    At times, this may even cause AIU to insist that the supplier
    include warning labels or certain language in its instruction
    manual.  As Claims Department Manager Adam Yip explains, AIU will
    have its engineers investigate the supplier's operations, at which
    time the right to determine the language may either be written into
    the insurance contract or informally suggested to the claim holder.

    Insurers Avoiding the Risky Business
    -------------------------------------

    GUANGZHOU 00000836  003 OF 003

    ¶13. (SBU) Tracy Zhang, AIU's Manager of Casualty Underwriting, told
    us that over 90 percent of the insurance policies issued by AIU in
    South China are related to products intended for the U.S.  Of that
    90 percent, less than one percent of the claims are eventually
    filed.  Zhang attributes this to the company's sweeping avoidance of
    issuing policies to suppliers in critical industries, like auto
    parts, food additives, gas products, medicine and pharmaceuticals,
    and bicycles.  According to Zhang, these suppliers are often forced
    to look overseas for insurance certificates, because local insurers
    like AIU lack investigatory resources to mitigate the risk.

    GOLDBERG

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