Food and Drug Safety, Public Health, and the Environment in China
Transcript (PDF) (Text)
The recent bird flu outbreak, reports of dead pigs and contaminated food products, and dangerous levels of air pollution, have raised concerns among both China's own citizens and American consumers about the Chinese government's ability to cope with these problems. To what extent has China been forthcoming to its citizens and the international community about incidents involving pollution, food and drug safety, and public health hazards? What is the extent of Chinese cooperation with U.S. officials and the international community on these issues? And how much freedom do Chinese citizens, consumer groups, lawyers, and the media have to monitor and report on these issues and advocate for enforcement of the law and official accountability?
This hearing was webcast live.
Opening Statements
Senator Sherrod Brown, Chairman
Representative Christopher Smith, Cochairman
Witnesses
Panel 1
Dr. Anne Schuchat, M.D. (RADM, USPHS), Assistant Surgeon General, United States Public Health Service; Director, National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Dr. Steven M. Solomon, D.V.M., M.P.H., Associate Director for Global Operations and Policy, Office of Global Regulatory Operations and Policy, U.S. Food and Drug Administration
Panel 2
Dr. Jennifer Turner, Ph.D., Director, China Environment Forum, Woodrow Wilson Center
Yangzhong Huang, Council on Foreign Relations; Associate Professor and Director of the Center for Global Health Studies, Seton Hall University
Tony Corbo, Senior Lobbyist, Food & Water Watch
Submitted for the Record:
Dr. Elizabeth Economy, C.V. Starr Senior Fellow and Director for Asia Studies, Council on Foreign Relations