Advertisement

Consumer-rights crusader calls for action against fakes-makers

Reading Time:2 minutes
Why you can trust SCMP
0

The standard of the mainland's exports was a problem, but more attention should be paid to the growing phenomenon of cheating with fake domestic products, outspoken consumer-rights advocate Wang Hai said yesterday.

Wearing his trademark sunglasses - an accessory the 34-year-old Qingdao native says 'has made my job easier' since he brought his first fake-goods lawsuit 12 years ago - Mr Wang spoke amid mounting criticism from foreign buyers, especially in the US, about the safety of mainland products.

'Although overall product quality has improved over the past years, cheating is growing in China,' he told a briefing at Beijing's Foreign Correspondents' Club.

Acknowledging that the central government was committed to improving product quality, Mr Wang said local administrations often had a different agenda.

He listed several reasons for the continued emergence of cases involving substandard and fake products - low fines imposed on corporations, the tendency of local governments to protect the interests of corporations investing in their economies, and a lack of funds and resources for extensive inspections and tests on consumer goods.

The imbalance of power between consumers and manufacturers was another big problem.

Advertisement