THE Land Transport Authority is monitoring the controversy surrounding Hangzhou Zhongce Rubber in the United States, following a proposed recall of 450,000 tyres initiated by a tyre distributor there. It said it is in contact with Singapore-based Lam Seng Hang, the regional distributor of the Chinese tyres. Referring to the recall scare in the US, the LTA noted that 'the manufacturing fault has not been conclusively established'.

The saga, which sparked a strong denial from the leading Chinese tyremaker, started when its distributor Foreign Tire Sales claimed last month that several tyres it received lacked a 'gum strip'.

Foreign Tire Sales, a company based in New Jersey, had earlier faced a suit arising from a fatal accident alleged to have been caused by thread separation. But the New Jersey company also noted that the accident vehicle was fitted with three Westlake (a Hangzhou Zhongce brand) tyres of the wrong size and a Michelin tyre of the right size.