It's pretty clear that one of the singular successes of the Bush administration's foreign policy is the U.S. relationship with China. Bush came into power calling China a "strategic competitor." But, like all presidents over the last three decades, when it came to China, he changed. Buffeted by events, especially the EP-3 incident during which a Chinese jet fighter crashed into a U.S. reconnaissance plane and, of course, 9/11, which rewrote America's strategic map, Bush has embraced a cool-headed policy toward Beijing.

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One of the most interesting things behind the whole horrible scandal involving tainted baby formula is that breastfeeding is not that popular in China. So far four babies have died and more than 6,000 have been sickened by milk powder that was spiked with the chemical melamine -- which makes the milk seem like it contains more protein than it really does.

You'd think breastfeeding would be widespread in a society that retains the appearance of being close to its agricultural roots, in a society that literally worships human milk. There's a Chinese expression: ren nai zhi bai bing (Human milk cures 100 illnesses.) During the biblical floods in southern China in '98, China's Central Television ran footage of wet nurses dispatched to the barricades to offer their milk to Chinese soliders. The CCTV footage showed one Chinese GI rubbing the stuff into his hair.

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Should Americans be learning something from the Chinese tainted-milk scandal? Should we be worried? Concerned? A little queasy?

You might say, "Not a problem, it's happening on the other side of the globe." Of course the story so far -- four dead infants, 60,000 sick, and the bureaucratic fallout just beginning -- is pretty grim. Asia is worried: Brunei, Indonesia, Singapore, Malaysia, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Japan, Bangladesh, Burundi and the Philippines are all either testing Chinese dairy products or pulling them from their stores. Kids have been stricken with kidney stones in Hong Kong.

But the FDA has said we don't import China's milk products. So don't worry.

I disagree. If the scandal illustrates anything, it's that China's product safety system is woefully ill-equipped. And that's pretty sobering news from a country which is the second biggest supplier of goods to the United States.

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This is from a New Zealander living in Wuhan reacting to the comments below. He has a point.

"I follow Pomfret's China and very much like it BUTwould it be possible to put recommendations at the top of the comments section ... such as to keep the discussion topical - i.e. pertinent to the actual post that comments are being logged under? There could be some really good informed discussion. At the moment it's the same bland pro/anti China stuff over and over. And it's quite intense. Another great recommendation would be: please keep comments mature."

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