Chinese food safety officials are calling for more stringent inspections and testing of exports, according to Li Changjiang, director of the General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine.

His remarks came as the State Council released its goals for food safety in the next five years.

"Food safety is not only a problem related to law enforcement but also related to the people's health and safety, the country's image, and also bilateral and multilateral political relationships," said Li.

His remarks, posted on the agency's website late Tuesday, were made last week during an inspection tour of Shenzhen in booming Guangdong province near Hong Kong.

Both Li and Wei Chuanzhong, the administration's deputy director, outlined measures that needed to be imposed to guarantee the safety of exported food, including better inspections at food sources and ports, increased testing of random samples and greater cooperation with the United States. They also called for better law enforcement, and said those who ignore safety regulations will be punished.

"Recently, our country has had a series of export food problems and that has triggered a lot of overseas attention about China's food safety," Wei said in a separate posting on the website. "This has put us on high alert and led us to seriously look into the reasons for the problems."

(AP)