Tianjin Customs has intensified quality and safety supervision over consumer goods, according to its news conference on March 14.

Responding to public concerns, customs has strictly conducted inspections and risk monitoring of consumer goods including kitchenware, air purifiers, children's products, student stationery, and furniture.

In 2021, customs detected 6,291 batches of substandard industrial products and raw materials, according to Liu Xintong, deputy head of customs.

To ensure that consumers' rights and interests are fully guaranteed, Tianjin Customs has implemented a series of measures to raise public awareness.

Last year, it published 28 risk assessment reports, involving automobiles, textile raw materials and toothbrushes for children, among other products.

A special column devoted to information sharing has also been posted on Tianjin Customs' website.

In 2021, the column also released 1,267 pieces of quality and safety news for imported goods, 1,596 regulations and technical trade standards, 7 risk advisory reports and 5 popular science articles.

Liu Jun, director of commodity inspection department, said that he once found that the bristles on a shipment of infant toothbrushes were too rough for babies to use. Moreover, the small parts on the heads of these toothbrushes could be removed, yet there was no warning of a choking hazard in Chinese.

Toys, in another case, came without instructions or safety warnings in Chinese on the packaging, and their plastic wrap was too thin and unperforated, both of which could be a suffocation hazard.

The toys and all 450,000 toothbrushes were returned to the original suppliers in accordance with the Customs Law of the People's Republic of China.

Automobiles and accessories were also emphasized by Liu. Throughout 2021, Tianjin Customs intercepted multiple shipments of ungraded automobiles and accessories. The defects included, but were not limited to, oil cooler pipes detachment, wire harness exposure, inconsistent identification codes and substandard brake linings. 

The aforementioned products could be potential public safety hazards, said Liu, and all were returned or disposed of.

It also announced measures to further boost customs service and promote cross-border trade.