China is to inspect drug makers and sellers for illegal production and selling of stimulants in six host cities of the Beijing Olympics from May 12 to 20, the drug regulator said in Beijing on Thursday.

The anti-doping move is aimed to ensure drug safety for Olympic athletes, said the State Food and Drug Administration (SFDA)'s spokeswoman Yan Jiangying at a press conference.

Apart from the six Olympic host cities of Beijing, Shanghai, Tianjin, Shenyang, Qinhuangdao and Qingdao, "the city of Shenzhen would also be on the check list because it is adjacent to Hong Kong, the host city the horsemanship event," Yan said.

She said the SFDA and seven other government departments would launch another six-day joint inspection on May 26 on the production and marketing of stimulants in 16 provincial-level areas including Jilin, Heilongjiang, Jiangsu, and Shandong.

(Xinhua News Agency May 9, 2008)