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China disowns fake products
2007-09-19 09:19:30
By Angel Navuri
China yesterday denied that the bulk of imported Chinese goods in Tanzania are counterfeit.
It instead laid blame on unscrupulous traders `who use China as a transit route for their exports to Tanzania.`
The reaction comes a few days after the Free Competition Commission had stated that 50 percent of Chinese consignments sold in Dar es Salaam markets are fake.
In an exclusive interview yesterday, the trade attaché at the Chinese Embassy in Dar es Salaam, Jiang Xincel, dismissed the accusations, saying they were unfounded.
`Chinese products are not phoney. Some of the goods flooding Tanzania are manufactured in other countries but only pass through China,`said Xincel.
`Unscrupulous traders use China as a route for Tanzania destined goods. These products do not come from Chinese manufacturers,` he added.
In some instances, according to the envoy, dishonest traders inscribe China`s logo on their goods so as to deceive buyers that the items originate from China.
According to the official, Chinese manufacturers produce quality and durable items that fetch lucrative markets internationally.
According to the FCC Director of Consumer Affairs and Administration, Michael Shilla, dishonest local traders have been sending samples of genuine products to Chinese manufacturers, who, in turn, reproduce imitated substandard goods for the Tanzanian market.
`The local traders then come home with these mediocre items, sell them at lower prices, far below those of genuine products,` said Shilla.
Massive circulation of counterfeit goods has adverse effect on the country`s economy and operations of the local private sector, with honest traders bearing the brunt of the resulting loss.
Both the government and dealers of genuine goods are losing income as prospective customers opt for lowly-priced counterfeits, thus denying the state of projected revenue.
According to the Commission, there are large stocks of counterfeit goods stored in godowns, retail and wholesale outlets, but it lacks legal teeth to inspect the suspected locations.
The government is planning to review the law governing FCC with a view to giving it legal teeth, so that it can conduct random inspections of godowns and retail outlets.
Currently, the commission’s search for counterfeits is currently confined to the ports.
Early this month, the police, in collaboration with the FCC, impounded large consignments of imitation goods in Dar es Salaam—Hitachi television sets and Kiwi shoe polish—which impeccable sources said were imported from China.
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