The US Food and Drug Administration has received approval from the US State Department to establish eight full time permanent FDA positions at US diplomatic posts in the People's Republic of China, pending authorization from the Chinese government.
FDA's plans to hire and place FDA staff in China over the next 18 months. It will also be hiring a total of five local Chinese nationals to work with the new FDA staff at the US 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."
Building the FDA's capacity outside of the US supports the agency's "Beyond our Borders" initiative that facilitates the building of stronger cooperative relationships with the FDA's counterpart agencies around the world and enhanced technical cooperation with foreign regulators.
