Mattel Apologizes to Chinese Officials for Toy Recalls

Chrissie Cole

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In an attempt to save face, Friday, Mattel apologized to Chinese officials by taking the blame for the recent recalls of millions of toys. The apology was intended to help patch a strained relationship with the nation that manufacturers most of its toys.

Mattel, the world's largest toy maker, sent an executive to apologize in person to China's product Safety Chief Li Changjang.

"Mattel takes full responsibility for these recalls and apologizes personally to you, the Chinese people, and all of our customers who received the toys," Thomas A. Debrowski, Mattel's executive vice president for worldwide operations, told Li.

He suggested Mattel may want to prevent China from imposing more taxes or regulations.

"China's embarrassment in all this could lead to that, and I think they were trying to head that off with this apology," Johnson said.

A business professor at the University of California, Peter Navarro, author of "The Coming China Wars," suggests Mattel was trying to avoid punitive measures.

For more information, please visit our section on Mattel Toy Recall Information.