The White House denied the effort was aimed at China, though the announcement came the same day senators heard testimony from regulators about problems caused by the extremely rapid growth of imports from China. Chinese exports to the United States last year were nearly triple the level of just five years ago.
''It's important for the American people to know their government is on top of this situation and constantly reviewing procedures and practices,'' Bush said after his first meeting with the Working Group on Import Safety.
The panel chaired by Health and Human Services Secretary Michael Leavitt is expected to report its recommendations to the president in 60 days. It will review procedures and regulations and look at safety issues in countries that send goods to the United States.
''This is a serious issue,'' Bush said. ''The American people expect their government to work tirelessly to make sure consumer products are safe. And that's precisely what my administration is doing.''
Sen. Sherrod Brown said creation of the panel will not address the problem.
''Establishing a product safety panel is like stamping out a single leaf in a forest fire,'' said Brown, D-Ohio, who called for a broader look at trade issues.
White House spokesman Tony Snow said the move was not ''a slap at China.''
''This is, in fact, a normal piece of business. We get food imports from 150 countries around the world. It's important to monitor them all,'' Snow told reporters.
Imports of Chinese products into the United States totaled $288 billion while U.S. exports to China totaled $55 billion last year. That means for every $1 in goods the United States sells to China, China sells more than $5 in products to the U.S. Imports of Chinese food, agricultural, and seafood soared to $4.2 billion last year - up from just $880 million in 1996, according to a recent Congressional Research Service report. Drug-laced, farmed fish imported from China has been of particular concern. China announced that teams of food safety officials from the U.S. and China would meet in Beijing at the end of the month to discuss the safety of China's seafood exports.
