The food safety issue is not only a threat to China, but also endangers many parts of the world.

Li Changjiang says that's why the High-level International Food Safety Forum was established. He noted that every participant considers the issue complicated.

The forum aims to narrow differences between the level of food safety in China and some other countries around the world. Organizers are calling for international cooperation to solve any lingering issues.

But the Chinese side maintains that differences can also exist in biased reports.

EU Trade Commissioner, Peter Mandelson, says 80 percent of disqualified food products seized within the EU borders in 2006 were produced in China.

But the head of China's top quality watchdog has expressed his strong dissatisfaction with this view.

Li Changjiangsaid, "I admit that a few food products exported from China to the EU have quality problems. But I don't agree with him about the proportion. The European Union exported 50,000 batches to China between January and September. Among them, nearly 500 batches were below the quality standard. That proportion is 0.8 percent. But the rate of China's disqualified food exports to the EU is only 0.2 percent. The number tells the truth."

Li Changjiang also says international food safety issues should be settled through consultation, instead of groundless claims.

Li Changjiang said, "Countries from around the world should join hands in finding a solution to the food safety issue. By doing so, global food safety standards will be elevated to a higher level."

Meanwhile, WHO Director-General Margaret Chen gave a positive assessment of China's efforts to improve food safety via a video during Monday's meeting. She also warned that all countries should stay vigilant as they face food safety challenges brought about by globalization.