China Initiates Ministeral-Level Standardization Coordination and Promotion Mechanism

On July 2, the first State Council Standardization Coordination and Promotion Ministerial Meeting was held in Beijing. The formation of the mechanism, which was prioritized as the top task of the six reform measures outlined in the Reform Plan for Further Improving Standardization Work, was led by the General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine (AQSIQ) and announced by the State Council on June 12.

The mechanism, which focuses on top-level coordination in China's efforts to enable closer collaboration between government-led standards and market-oriented standards work, is responsible for planning new standardization reform and development policies and coordinating implementation of the Reform Plan for Further Improving Standardization Work.

According to the news report published on the China government official website, the Meeting Convener, State Councilor Wang Yong, attended the meeting and delivered a speech. Wang called for an accelerated drafting of relevant laws, development strategies and action plans for the key standardization reform tasks, including cleaning and integration of mandatory standards, review and revising of recommended standards, and pilot reform work of consortia and enterprise standards, aiming to bring the strategic role of standardization into full play in sustainable economic and social development.

The Meeting Vice Convener, AQSIQ Director Zhi Shuping, reported on the overall implementation progress of the Reform Plan for Further Improving Standardization Work, while other ministerial members delivered respective work reports, including Ministry of Science and Technology Vice Minister Hou Jianguo, Ministry of Industry and Information Technology Vice Minister Huai Jinpeng, and Ministry of Commerce Vice Minister Fang Aiqin.