(Xinhua)
Updated: 2007-12-12 15:03

PARIS -- In the run-up to Christmas, the recent toy recall dramas involving Chinese products are having little impact on holiday sales in France.

At Galeries Lafayette and Printemps department stores in Paris, many buyers are selecting gifts for the coming holiday. At the toy sections, most of the toys, though with different brand names, came from China, the world's largest toy producer.

Salespeople told Xinhua Tuesday they could not do without Chinese-made toys as these account for 85 percent of the toys produced in the world and that they will probably lose their jobs if they don't sell Chinese-made toys.

Some buyers interviewed by Xinhua said they were not concerned about where the toys were produced, but they did not want to buy any Mattel toys because they had lost confidence in them.

US toy maker Mattel has recalled more than 21 million toys made in China for their use of lead paint or tiny magnets that were potentially dangerous to small children. The world's top toy maker admitted a majority of the recalls resulted from design flaws.

Chinese customs authorities in Guangdong province, a major base for the toy industry in China, said late last month that demand for exported toys has rebounded despite the recalls.

On a broader scale, trade between China and France has grown 34.1 percent in the first three quarters of this year to reach 23.8 billion US dollars.

Bryan Ellis, chairman of Toy Industries Europe, told Xinhua earlier that after the massive recalls, the European toy industry remains confident in Chinese manufacturers due to their long-time cooperation and the Chinese manufacturers' expertise.

"Most people in the toy industry have a good confidence in Chinese manufacturers. We build expertise in this area for more than twenty years," he said, adding that as far as he knew, no EU companies had ever cancelled orders due to the recalls.