To show appreciation to the Chinese standardization community for their support over the years, SESEC organized the China-EU Standardization Roundtable and Chinese New Year Reception on January 31. Over 60 delegates from the EU, the Chinese government, industries, and standardization bodies participated in the meeting. The event was presided over by Dr. Betty Xu, Director of SESEC.

The Roundtable discussion began with opening remarks from the European representative, Mr. Frank Schmiedel, the first counsellor of the Internal Market, Industry, Entrepreneurship, and SMEs (DG GROW) of the Delegation of the European Union to China, and Mr. Li Dongfang, level II division rank official from the International Cooperation Department of the Standardization Administration of China. Following the remarks, eight speakers were invited to deliver their keynote speeches on their work in standardization.

  • Frank Schmiedel updated the latest progress regarding the implementation EU standardization strategy;
  • Li Dongfang gave an introduction to the international standardization work of China;
  • M Ester Cañada Amela, Advocacy and Working Group Coordinator of Standardization and Conformity Assessment Working Group of European Chamber of Commerce in China(EUCCC), introduced the key points of EUCCC position paper on China Conformity Assessment and Standardization;
  • Yang Shuwei, level IV division rank official of Consumer Products Department of National Certification and Accreditation Administration (CNCA), introduced the development of China’s green product certification and labeling System;
  • June Zhang, head of Technical Regulation, Standardisation and Quality Management of SIEMENS China and EUCCC SCA WG Chair,introduced the topic of Digital Product Passport in her speech titled “EU Digital Product Passport – A Glance from an Enterprise”;
  • Liu Donghua, researcher of National Library of Standards of China National Institute of Standardization (CNIS), introduced the development of standards’ digitalization in China;
  • Niu Huiting, project advisor of SPEAC project, introduced the Safety Non-food Consumer Products in the EU and China (SPEAC) Project;
  • Yu Limei, director of Evaluation Department III of the National Center of Standards Evaluation of State Administration for Market Regulation (SAMR) gave a brief introduction of the National Center of Standards Evaluation, SAMR.

This meeting marked the resumption of SESEC’s reception since 2019. Representatives from various standardization parties came together to exchange their experiences and gain a better understanding of each other’s work. It is believed that the meeting has set a positive tone for Sino-EU standardization exchanges in 2024. Dr. Betty Xu, director of SESEC, emphasized the importance of the exchange between China and Europe as a foundation for cooperation. She expressed her gratitude to all the representatives for attending the meeting and looked forward to further discussions and exchanges in the new year. In the meantime, SESEC will continue to support the standardization exchange between China and the EU.