The British Retail Consortium (BRC) is to hold a series of promotional events in major Chinese cities later this year to raise awareness of a new global product standard aimed at the tens of thousands of factories and suppliers which have dealings with Britain's retail industry.

The BRC roadshow, which will include events in Beijing and Shanghai, as well as the southern Chinese manufacturing hubs of Guangzhou and Shenzhen, will come as China faces unprecedented scrutiny over the reliability of its vast exports machine.

In recent weeks, the world's largest toy company, Mattel, was forced to recall 1.5m toys around the world after it emerged they had been coated with paint containing potentially dangerous levels of lead. Safety scares have also led to recalls of Chinese-made tyres, toothpaste and pet-food, and exacerbated political tensions whereby Beijing has accused Washington of protectionism.

Although the bulk of the affected products were withdrawn from sale in the US, British retailers including Argos and Woolworths have also been drawn into the issue. The BRC standard, which was formally launched earlier this year, has so far signed up just over 100 Chinese suppliers.

Last year, British imports from China reached £15.6bn, an 18pc increase on 2005, according to figures from UK Trade & Investment.