REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, BEIJING -- China has proposed an exchange of the lab test results concerning fake rice made of plastic to confirm the rice's country of origin.

"There must be detailed proof that the synthetic rice found in Indonesia is from China," China's Deputy Director General of General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine (AQSIQ) Bi Kexin was quoted as saying by Indonesia's Trade Attache Dandy Iswara here, Monday.

According to the Indonesian government, there were no rice imports, including from China.

However, data from China's Customs and Excise office showed that China exported rice worth US$182 thousand to Indonesia during January-March 2015.

The Indonesian government's representatives in China held a closed-door meeting with the officials of AQSIQ to discuss about plastic rice found in Indonesia and believed to have been imported from China.

Kexin affirmed that there is no presence of plastic rice in his country. Even, if it did exist, it would be expensive and not profitable, he pointed out.

Indonesia should prove that the plastic rice came from China. "And we are ready to exchange the results of the lab tests," Kexin stated.

He said the plastic rice case should not affect bilateral relations between China and Indonesia, and therefore, the case should be addressed proportionally.

Indonesians were startled by reports on the discovery of synthetic rice suspected to be made of plastic material and imported from China.

Head of the Food and Drug Control Agency (BPOM) Roy Sparingga stated here on Monday that the results of the tests conducted on samples of suspected "plastic" rice have been submitted to the police.

"We have already submitted the results of the test conducted on the samples to the police for a follow-up, but I cannot reveal them," he stated.

He added that the agency only gave the laboratory test results and not any recommendations.

The tests were carried out to confirm whether the rice samples contained plastic substances as reported, Sparingga pointed out.

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