Watchdog to launch inspection of cables

China's quality watchdog requested on Thursday a nationwide inspection of companies producing electric wires and cables, in the wake of reports that substandard cables were found in some metro systems.

The inspection, which started on Thursday and lasts until the end of June, will focus on cracking down on substandard products and guaranteeing quality, according to a notice released on the website of the General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine.

The substandard cables provided by Shaanxi Aokai Cable Co were first reported to have been used in Subway Line 3 in Xi'an, Shaanxi province. The line carries an average of more than 340,000 people a day, but its cables were reportedly susceptible to catching fire and the toxic gas released in case of a fire is lethal.

The metro systems in Chengdu, Sichuan province, and in Hefei, Anhui province, were also found to have used cables from the same company.

Eight people at the private company, established in 2012, have been detained. Local police also shut down the company's production sites, sealed its ledger and took other cable products for further testing.

The administration ordered that provincial quality inspection departments inspect electric wires or cables produced by Aokai that are being sold or used.

Xi'an Metro and Chengdu Rail Transit vowed to replace the substandard cables. Hefei Urban Rail Transit Co said it would launch an investigation into the issue.

The administration said provincial regulators should also look into production permits, quality assurance systems, raw materials, and whether companies cut down on materials in the production process.

"People suspected of breaking the law and producing substandard products should be transferred to judicial departments," it added.

Wang Zhiwei, legal representative of Aokai, apologized and knelt down in an interview with Xi'an Television Station. He admitted that the company won its bid to supply metro systems with a low price, but cut down on materials in order to increase profits, which led to the substandard products.

Shan Juan contributed to this story.