{"text":[[{"start":8.05,"text":"China’s market regulator has summoned Sam’s Club over food safety issues, posing a challenge to Walmart’s fast-growing warehouse chain in the world’s second-largest economy."}],[{"start":18.3,"text":"The State Administration for Market Regulation said on Monday it had held a meeting with the company after “numerous food safety issues discovered by regulators and exposed by the media”."}],[{"start":30.15,"text":"The regulator “demanded that Walmart strictly comply” with China’s food safety laws, the notice added, without confirming when the meeting occurred or detailing the specific violations."}],[{"start":41.349999999999994,"text":"Sam’s Club has expanded rapidly in China despite slowing economic momentum and weak consumer confidence following a property slowdown."}],[{"start":49.74999999999999,"text":"It is a prominent example of a foreign retailer seen to be doing well in the mainland, as consumers flock to the warehouses for their low prices and US-style bulk purchases. Sam’s Club has 67 stores in mainland China."}],[{"start":63.849999999999994,"text":"Walmart’s net sales in China rose 22 per cent year on year to $8bn in the quarter to the end of April. The company said last month it was seeing “continued momentum in Sam’s Club, with a double-digit growth in transactions” and that it had opened nine new stores in the past 12 months."}],[{"start":82.35,"text":"Walmart executives were also summoned last year amid an unfolding tariff war between the US and China, after reports that the retailer was asking Chinese suppliers to cut costs in response to the levies."}],[{"start":94.39999999999999,"text":"The incident highlighted the sensitivities for major US companies in the mainland from the trade tensions, which have since eased. Chinese leader Xi Jinping hosted Donald Trump in Beijing last month in the first visit by a US president since 2017."}],[{"start":109.49999999999999,"text":"However, the US last week reinstated Alibaba, Baidu and BYD to a blacklist of Chinese companies seen as posing a security risk over alleged military links."}],[{"start":120.59999999999998,"text":"Walmart did not immediately respond to a request for comment, but state media outlet China News Service reported Sam’s Club said it had formed a “special rectification task force led by management” and would “strictly comply with relevant laws and regulations”."}],[{"start":137.54999999999998,"text":"Additional contributions from Wenjie Ding in Beijing"}],[{"start":147.54999999999998,"text":""}]],"url":"https://audio.ftcn.net.cn/album/a_1781510466_1604.mp3"}