The Chinese government is understandably conscious of the damage that can be done by the contaminated milk affair, not only to its dairy industry, but to the entire “Made in China” image. “Exports of Chinese dairy products to foreign markets is very limited,” said Wang Xiaoshan of the Consulate General of People's Republic of China in Jeddah, in an effort to reassure concerned consumers. Xiaoshan, Consul of the Commercial Section, also appealed for public cooperation in making sure that no further unsuitable products reach the market. “If, however, anybody should find any Chinese dairy products of inferior quality, they can directly inform the commercial section of the Chinese consulate, which will do all it can to provide the consumer with necessary assistance, and urge the related Chinese exporters to solve the problem as per the relevant commercial principles,” he said. Xiaoshan emphasized the rapid response of his government to the SanLu company incident, when baby milk powder was found to contain toxic substances. “An emergency team was immediately set up to deal with the case and several measures have been taken to safeguard the quality of dairy products.” Contaminated milk in China has so far led to the death of four infants and 53,000 others have fallen ill. Around 12 countries have already imposed a ban on Chinese dairy products. Over 6,000 Chinese infants who were fed contaminated SanLu milk products have been diagnosed with various urinary tract problems, including kidney stones. __
