WASHINGTON— The U.S. State Department has given FDA approval to establish eight full time permanent FDA positions at U.S. diplomatic posts in the People’s Republic of China, pending authorization from the Chinese government. The agency called this an important step forward in its plans to hire and place FDA staff in China over the next 18 months. In addition, FDA will hire a total of five local Chinese nationals to work with the new FDA staff at the U.S. Embassy in Beijing and the U.S. Consulates General in Shanghai and Guangzhou.
“In an age when a border is not a barrier, the globalized economy demands nothing less than heightened regulatory interoperability, information exchange, and cooperation, especially on product quality and enforcement matters,” said Murray M. Lumpkin, M.D., deputy commissioner for International and Special Programs, FDA. “Along with the important Memoranda of Agreement signed with two FDA counterpart Chinese agencies, our efforts to fill permanent FDA positions in China are a significant step toward ensuring access to safe food, drugs, and medical devices in the global market.”
The agency (FDA.gov) noted building its capacity outside of the United States is a part of its Beyond our Borders initiative, which aims to build stronger cooperative relationships with FDA’s counterpart agencies around the world and enhanced technical cooperation with foreign regulators. FDA added the permanent overseas offices in China will also allow greater access for inspections and greater interactions with manufacturers to help assure that products that are shipped to the United States meet U.S. standards for safety and manufacturing quality.
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