Recently, the State Council issued the Opinions on Further Optimizing the Foreign Investment Environment and Increasing Efforts to Attract Foreign Investment (hereinafter referred to as the Opinions), with the aim to further attract and utilize foreign investment (Click here to find out SESEC’s news on the Opinions). One of the measures outlined by the Opinions is dedicated to standardization, specifically aimed at supporting foreign-invested enterprises (FIEs) to participate in the formulation of standards, in an equal and law-abiding manner. To support the Opinions and FIE’s participation in China’s standardization activities, the State Administration for Market Regulation provided answers to 10 most frequently asked questions – which were translated by SESEC team to increase the understanding of foreign stakeholders. The translation of the Q&A is divided into three parts – this document consists of the third part.
- How can FIEsprovide opinions and suggestions during the different stages of standardization projects, i.e. during project etablishment, solicitation of opinions, and standard implementation?
Before the official project announcement and establishment, national standards and their foreign language versions projects to be established will be released for public opinions. Representatives of FIEs may submit opinions and suggestions through the National Public Service Platform for Standards Information, after registering with their real names and logging in their personal accounts.
Once the national standardization project is initiated, a draft for comment will be formed. During this stage, opinions will be publicly solicited through the National Public Service Platform for Standards Information. Representatives of FIEs may submit comments and suggestions through the National Public Service Platform for Standards Information, after registering with their real names and logging in their personal accounts.
The standardization administrative department of the State Council will collect all the opinions and suggestions received from relevant parties on the implementation of national standards, and provide timely feedback to the drafting bodies. Representatives of FIEs may provide opinions and suggestions on the implementation of current national standards through the National Public Service Platform for Standards Information, after registering with their real names and logging in their personal accounts.
- How can representatives of FIEs participate in the work of national standardization technical committees?
Representatives of FIEs can participate in the work of national standardization technical committees as members or observers, and enjoy corresponding rights and perform corresponding obligations in accordance with the Measures for the Administration of the National Standardization Technical Committees and other relevant provisions.
Relevant information on the establishment and election of a national standardization technical committee are publicly published on the National Public Service Platform for Standards Information; calls for membership are also announced through the platform. More specifically, the information of calls for membership are available in the column ‘Publicity of Open Calls for Members’ on the National Public Service Platform for Standards Information. During the publicity period, representatives of FIEs can register with their real names and log in to their personal accounts, click ‘I want to join’ button, and fill in the relevant personal information before finally submitting the application.
Once a technical committee has already been established, eligible representatives of FIEs may also apply to join national standardization technical committees that have already been established or elected, by submitting relevant application materials to the corresponding secretariat. The national standardization technical committee will deliberate on the addition of new members after a vote of all members of the committee, and eventually submit the adjusted list of members to the Standardization Administration of China for official approval.
Based on work needs, a national standardization technical committee may also welcome observers. Observers are eligible to access to internal information and documents, attend internal meetings, express opinions and make suggestions, but do not enjoy voting rights. Qualifications to be an observer are normally stipulated in the charter / articles of association of the technical committee. Representatives of FIEs can contact the secretariat of the technical committee to obtain the relevant information of the qualification requirement; those eligible can apply to become observers.
- Where caninformation ofnational standardization technical committees be found?
Basic information such as the number, name, members and specialized field of a national standardization technical committee can be easily found on the National Public Service Platform for Standards Information, together with information on the committee’s secretariat such as the name and title of the current secretary-general, the unit where the secretariat is hosted, contact details.
- What are the access channelsand working platforms of standardization information?
The National Public Service Platform for Standards Information: https://std.samr.gov.cn/
This is the unified entrance to all information on standards, including national standards, sector standards, local standards, association standards, enterprise standards, international standards, foreign standards, demonstration pilots, and technical committees. As mentioned earlier, the platform also hosts information related to all stages of standard establishment, formulation, implementation and revision. The platform thus represents a one-stop, all-round public information service.
