Foshan, China
The head of the Chinese toy company involved in a massive toy recall hanged himself last week, authorities said. Zhang Shuhong was co-owner of a company that supplied Mattel with Fisher-Price brand plastic toys found to contain lead paint. More than a million of the toys were recalled, and Zhang’s company is on the verge of collapse. This week, Mattel announced the recall of an additional 19 million Chinese-made toys, including some Barbie and Batman toys and Polly Pocket dolls. Mattel, the world’s largest toy retailer, gets about 65 percent of its products from China, the world’s leading toy supplier. The recalls are another blow to China’s already crumbling reputation as an exporter. Earlier this year, Chinese-made pet food sickened hundreds of animals in the U.S., and Chinese-made toothpaste was banned in South America.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
-
What should you be stockpiling for 'World War Three'?In the Spotlight Britons advised to prepare after the EU tells its citizens to have an emergency kit just in case
-
Carnivore diet: why people are eating only meatThe Explainer 'Meatfluencers' are taking social media by storm but experts warn meat-only diets have health consequences
-
Scientists want to fight malaria by poisoning mosquitoes with human bloodUnder the radar Drugging the bugs
