Less than the whole truth

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With a public relations scandal involving food and other product safety looming if not already roiling for China on June 12, the vice minister for the State Administration for Industry and Commerce in China said, "We can guarantee food safety."

Starting in December 2006, news media had reported to the world on tainted (poisonous) products manufactured and exported from China. China denied the allegations but a steady "drip, drip, drip" of news revealed tainted pet foods, seafood, toothpaste, medical supplies, children's custard and even children's toys painted with lead-based paint.

But, by still claiming that food products from China were completely safe last June, China in fact demonstrated it "didn't get it." China doesn't know what almost every experienced American movie star, politician and prominent sports figure knows or will soon hear about as soon as a scandal breaks: come clean.

On Saturday, the official China news agency Xinhua quoted the deputy head of the State Food and Drug Administration, Hui Lusheng, as saying "Dealing with and preventing food safety risks is a long-term, arduous and complicated project." Finally, a probably reliable admission from China.

Why does China "not get it"? Why, when a crisis or scandal breaks, does China at first issue a denial and only reverse course once the mess is a firestorm?

First, China does not have a fully free and open media. During many scandals, especially largely internal scandals, China gets away without telling the truth or suffering consequences.

The second reason many believe China generally denies the truth to escape responsibility and public scorn is more complicated, cultural and deeply rooted in the communist system. Because China and other communist countries have no free and open elections, the communist party and its officials stay in power using a system of coercion, force and putting down public unhappiness — sometimes ruthlessly and violently.

Public confidence among the Chinese in their government is not widespread. Public obedience from the countryside to edicts from Beijing are often ignored.

China has another problem: With 1.3 billion people and an immense land mass, seemingly small problems are often found to be huge.

In last spring's tainted pet food scandal, China at first denied any wrongdoing. But Western reporters found the pet food was largely poisoned by a product called melamine, used in fertilizer and plastics. Using melamine, Chinese manufacturers cut production costs while charging top dollar as if beef or other high-quality protein had been used in the pet food.