Tainted dumplings not contaminated in China: Chinese investigators

(CBC) - Chinese authorities said Thursday that their investigation shows there is little chance that pesticide-tainted dumplings blamed for sickening at least 10 people in Japan were contaminated in China.

There have been suggestions in both countries that the poisonings were deliberate and that the contamination happened in the other country. But Chinese investigators said they had conducted extensive tests and inspections on the production, storage and transport of the dumplings and found nothing unusual.

Fifty-five people involved in the production were also questioned and no suspicious activities were uncovered, said Yu Xinmin, a top criminal investigator at the Ministry of Public Security.

Traces of methamidophos, an insecticide banned in Japan, were found in the dumplings, on the packaging and in the vomit of the people who were sickened in December and January after eating two separate brands of dumplings made at the Tianyang Food Processing Ltd. factory.

The incidents have aggravated often-tempestuous relations between the neighbours, who have clashed over wartime history and mineral-rich territories.

"We believe that there is little chance of putting methamidophos into dumplings in China," Yu told reporters at a briefing. He noted that police believed the case was "caused by man-made factors" and did not stem from tainted raw materials.

Japan's Health Ministry had no immediate comment.

Checks have turned up nothing unusual at the factory in northern China's Hebei province, Yu said. "Our investigation has proven that the Tianyang food plant ... has strict management of its production," he said.

No problems were found during investigations into raw materials, production procedures and transportation methods, he said.

Yu would not say if he thought that the poison was added in Japan.

"Japanese police say they believe it is highly unlikely," Yu said. "We have convincing evidence supporting our conclusion and so do Japanese police. The problem now is whose evidence is more scientific, objective and reliable?"

For a decade, Beijing has been trying to restrict the use of methamidophos, and in 2004 banned its use on fruit and vegetable crops. The pesticide is known to be so deadly that farmers drink it to commit suicide.

The case touched off a food-safety scare in Japan, a key export market for China, and set back Beijing's efforts to shore up foreign consumer confidence in its exports after a series of food and product safety scandals last year.

Japanese police unco-operative: Chinese

Yu complained Thursday that his agency did not get full co-operation from their Japanese counterparts.

"We regret that the police authorities of Japan not only refused our request to inspect the scene and the relevant material evidence and re-examine the identification reports, but also gave no comprehensive introduction on how they collected and examined the material evidence," Yu said. It was not clear what scene or what evidence he was referring to.

Japan's Kyodo News agency reported that National Police Agency chief Hiroto Yoshimura was displeased with China's response.

"We have provided all documents that we thought would be helpful to China, and I do not understand why we have to hear the word 'regret,"' Yoshimura was quoted as saying by Kyodo.