China food- drug inspection transparency improving- FDA

United States officials say China's food and drug inspection transparency is improving.

The United States has opened its first overseas office of the Government's Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in the Chinese capital, Beijing.

FDA workers will inspect imports bound for the US before they leave China.

Chinese quarantine workers will also set up reciprocal offices in America as part of a joint effort to crack down on product safety.

In the past, US inspectors say they had little or no access to information when investigating goods bound for the states, but US Health Secretary Mike Leavitt said cooperation was now improving between the two global powers.

The FDA will also open offices in Shanghai and Guangzhou.

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Wed 19th November 2008 - 10:40pm