SINGAPORE, Nov 20: China and Southeast Asia on Tuesday signed a pact on food safety at a regional summit here, pledging to cooperate to protect consumers and improve the handling of potential health threats.

The agreement committed China and the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) to strengthen efforts to ensure the safety of food and agricultural products imported between them.

Food safety standards have “important significance in safeguarding human, animal and plant health and facilitating and promoting regional trade,” it said.

Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao, whose country has launched a campaign to keep dangerous goods from reaching store shelves worldwide following several scares, on Monday reiterated his commitment to ensuring food and product safety.

“We take product quality and food safety seriously and we will work to uphold the interests of both Chinese and foreign consumers,” Wen said in a speech at the National University of Singapore.—AFP