Digging to China

Obama’s China Resume/FDA’s Beijing Office

Segment 1:  Obama’s China Resume

President-elect Obama has a thin resume.  This is particularly true regarding his record on U.S.-China relations.  At the April 2007 debate among Democratic candidates, Obama said China is “neither our enemy nor our friend.  They’re our competitors.”  Senator Obama has noted the problems with China’s revaluation of the Yuan, and he considered to co-sponsor a bill with Senator Clinton to impose high duties on Chinese goods.  In March 2008, he condemned China’s crackdown on Tibetan Buddhist monks.  Senator Obama has expressed support for the one China policy.

Guest:  Nancy Bernkopf Tucker, Professor of History, Georgetown University

Segment 2:  The FDA’s Beijing Office

After eighteen months of food and safety scandals involving Chinese-made toys, toothpaste, cough syrup, pet food, drugs and milk, the United States in November opened a Beijing office of the Food and Drug Administration.  The office is the first FDA inspection agency outside the United States, and similar FDA operations in Shanghai and Guangzhou are scheduled to begin soon.  All three will work with Chinese counterpart agencies to inspect products bound for the United States.  Each year, the average American eats about 260 pounds of imported foods, including processed, ready-to-eat products and single ingredients.  Imports account for about 13% of the annual diet.  With food supply globalized as it is, can the FDA inspect enough food to guarantee safety?

Guest:  Carl Nielsen, former Director for the FDA’s Division of Import Operations