As investigations continued into the June 19 death of Xiao Jinpeng whose cell phone battery exploded and killed the 22-year-old Chinese man, authorities have found batteries that may blow up when used in Motorola Incorporated and Nokia Corporporation cell phones. However, neither Motorola nor provincial law enforcement has confirmed that the phone, reported as made by Illinois-based Motorola, was actually a company-branded handset. Both handset manufacturers have said they are cooperating with the safety investigation, but claimed that the batteries fingered by authorities were unauthorized copycats.
A Motorola spokesman downplayed the phone connection. "Preliminary evidence suggests it is highly unlikely that a cell phone caused this accident. We are working with the Chinese authorities to determine and investigate the root cause," said Yang Boning, a Beijing press officer for Motorola. According to the New York Times, Chinese investigators are not sure if any of the dangerous counterfeit cell phone batteries have been exported, or if they were only sold domestically.