China's regulations on defective product recalls are expected to be released next year. The State Administration for Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine (AQSIQ) has completed the initial draft of the "Regulations on the Management of Defective Product Recalls," which is expected to be released as early as next year. "Besides automobiles, toys, food, and pharmaceuticals, which are already included in the defective product recall system, all other products that may cause serious personal health harm may be included in the recall scope, such as household appliances and public service facilities like elevators and cable cars," Liu Zhaobin, Director of the Legal Affairs Department of AQSIQ, told a reporter from China Daily yesterday on the sidelines of a seminar on the third anniversary of the implementation of the automobile recall system and the product recall system in Beijing. Director Liu revealed that the AQSIQ has now completed the initial draft of the bill and is widely soliciting opinions from enterprises and relevant government departments. "We will widely listen to opinions from all sides and actively strive to introduce the 'Regulations on the Management of Defective Product Recalls' as soon as possible, raising the legal level of defective product recall management, expanding the scope of product recall management, and strengthening government supervision," he said. "At the earliest, the 'Regulations on the Management of Defective Product Recalls' could be released next year." If passed, these regulations will be China's first law on the defective product recall system. The existing "Regulations on the Recall of Defective Automobile Products," "Regulations on the Recall of Children's Toys," "Regulations on the Recall of Food Products," and the "Draft Measures for the Recall of Drugs" (currently open for public comment) are all departmental regulations at the legal level. Jiang Tianbo, Director of the Industrial, Commercial and Industrial Law Department of the State Council Legislative Affairs Office, who attended the seminar, also clarified that the State Council Legislative Affairs Office is considering including these regulations in the national legal framework.
