Chinese toy makers receive safety training

BEIJING, Oct. 14 (UPI) -- More than a thousand toy makers throughout China have completed a two-day course on ensuring a safe product for export.

Chinese officials and executives of companies from abroad lectured the toy makers on how to detect lead levels in paint and how to recognize design flaws that could harm children, China's official Xinhua news agency reported Sunday.

The conference, which ended Friday in Guangdong, aimed to improve China's image as an exporter. That image has been damaged in the past year by a series of recalls, including ones by U.S. toy maker Mattel after high lead levels were found in toys shipped from China.

China manufactures about 60 percent of the world's toys.