Warning - Made in China Exports

In July 2007, the world was stirred when 94 people in Panama were killed after taking some tainted medicine. Although the deaths took place in Latin America, everyone's eyes were half a world away --- on China. China was where the medicines came from. For the longest time, an item with the “Made in China” label had been considered cheap and low quality. Suddenly, Chinese products had another tag with them: unsafe. An international clamor forced this East Asian country to be more vigilant about the safety of their products.

The tragic event happened in Panama. If you think about it, China and Panama should have had settled the issue alone. But the situation is not that simple. The world was rattled because China plays a very big role in international trade. China is the second largest exporter in the world. Almost wherever you go, you'll find a Chinese product sitting on the shelves of a grocery or department store.

Many countries import products from China. These products range from electrical appliances to toys to medicines. Electrical machinery and equipment are China's top export products. More than 10 percent of the products the United States exports from China belong to this group. Power generation equipment ranks second. Parts and other articles for air and spacecraft are the third biggest export products of the country. China also exports optics and medical equipment to many parts of the world in huge numbers. It also export plastic materials. Aside from these technical items, China also earns much from exporting oil seeds and oleaginous fruits.

According to the General Administration of Customs of China, the country's total exports reached 136 billion dollars from January to July alone. The United States remains the biggest trading partner of China, buying more than 28 billion US dollars worth of Chinese goods. Hong Kong follows second with a little less than 25 billion imported goods from the mainland. Japan is the third biggest importer, buying more than 22 billion US dollars of goods. The European Union follows close with more than 21 billion.

This is why when the deaths in Panama because of the imported Chinese medicines were reported, the world was stirred. This resulted in China's strict inspection and major pullout of goods from the market. Today, the country has not recovered from the bad reputation yet but they are slowly getting there. They have to. After all, the world is their market.