Standards

Why are Chinese standards important to European exporters?

• Chinese standards identify the legal requirements for products entering China
• Most products entering China are covered by mandatory certification
• Conformity assessment is mandatory and can only be carried out in China
• Very few international certificates are accepted in China

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Introduction to the Chinese standardisation system

Many companies assume that Chinese standards are identical to European standards – this is not the case.

The Chinese standardisation system sets out quality and safety requirements for products circulated on the Chinese market. Any product entering the Chinese market therefore has the legal responsibility to conform to Chinese standards.

The Chinese standardisation system is built up on 4 different levels of standards which are divided in a hierarchical pyramid of national standards, professional standards (or sometimes referred to as sectorial standards), local standards, and finally enterprise standards. Chinese standards are either mandatory or voluntary.

Quality and safety compliance with national and professional standards represents the most important requirement for products exported to China.

Industry is increasingly involved in standards drafting, however, the Chinese government remains the key agent in the development of Chinese standards. Chinese national standards are maintained by the Standardisation Administration of China (SAC) which also provides free online standards enquiry services.

Professional standards are industry based and under the responsibility of Chinese sectorial ministries. There is no unified service available to search professional standards, which are usually published and sold by official industry specific organisations.

In recent years, China has undertaken an ambitious internationalisation strategy for its standardisation system. Increasingly, Chinese national and professional standards are being harmonised with international equivalents, and the number of harmonised Chinese standards are steadily increasing.

Moreover, China is a subscriber to the Conformity Body Certification Scheme under the International Electro-technical Commission, however testing at accredited Chinese laboratories is still mandatory for most Chinese certificates.

Learn more about Chinese standards and on-going cooperation between the EU and China in the area of standardisation by visiting the SESEC website.