(Xinhua)
Updated: 2008-02-05 21:19

BEIJING -- China will "make a thorough investigation" into the frozen dumpling poisoning case, said Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Liu Jianchao on Tuesday.

"We should know what are the problems and where are the loopholes, and that is the responsible attitude toward the consumers," he said.

According to earlier Japanese media reports, nearly 300 people have sought medical treatment, with one girl in serious condition, since a Japanese company last week said that frozen meat dumplings produced at the Tianyang Food Plant in Hebei Province, north China, contained insecticide.

The Japanese media's concern on this issue was understandable, Liu said, stressing that a scientific perspective and staying calm are needed to deal with the issue with a responsible attitude toward the consumers.

China attached great importance to this issue, Liu said, adding that the Chinese General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine (AQSIQ) sent a special team to make the investigation and publicize the results phase by phase.

A Chinese team arrived in Japan on Sunday. A Japanese team was also in Hebei Province to investigate this case. Up to now, no methamidophos was detected in the samples of the Chinese dumplings, Liu said, quoting Hebei provincial bureau of quality supervision, inspection and quarantine sources as saying.