| By Laura Smith-Spark BBC News, Washington |
Success story
A lesson may lie in the approach taken by the fireworks industry, which has focused on education and stringent product testing within China.
In the late 1980s and early 1990s, standards for Chinese-made fireworks were so low that as many as 75% failed US safety tests. 
To tackle the problem, US importers were encouraged to pay for a testing operation set up in China - the American Fireworks Standards Laboratory (AFSL) - to monitor production straight from the assembly line.
At least three-quarters of US fireworks importers are signed up to the scheme and the lab has about 50 technicians in China.
Since 1994, injury rates among US consumers have dropped by more than two-thirds and sales of fireworks have increased greatly. About 99% of the fireworks used in the US come from China.
John Rogers, executive director of the AFSL, said: "It's had a very positive impact for the American public, for the government that regulates fireworks and obviously for the companies."
He admits that initially Chinese factories "weren't happy" about the AFSL's checks but, as Chinese-language guidelines were produced to help them meet US requirements, attitudes changed.
"What the manufacturers understand is that safer, better quality fireworks translates into bigger sales, so now they like what we do," he said.
"I think that every industry that imports products from China could very well benefit from this kind of a programme."
Of course, the majority of goods imported from China are perfectly safe - but until standards improve across the board, US consumers must rely on officials to sift out potential hazards before they cause harm.(http://news.bbc.co.uk/)
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