On July 11, 2025, China’s National Standardization Administration (SAC) released a statement on foreign invested enterprise (in China) participation in its national standardization technical committees. The statement indicated that, as of the end of June 2025, there were 3,333 representatives from foreign invested enterprises serving as committee members, accounting for 5.4% of the total membership.
According to the statement, the breadth and depth of foreign invested enterprise participation in China’s standardization system have expanded with the implementation of the National Standardization Development Outline. Data shows that foreign enterprise members are involved in 791 technical committees, representing 58% of all committees, covering key sectors such as information technology, integrated circuits, communications, automobiles, healthcare, electronics, household appliances, and food. Foreign enterprise representatives have engaged in the preliminary research, project initiation, drafting, review, and revision of Chinese standards.
Notably, according to earlier statistics reported by China Central Television, the state broadcast, citing data from SAC, foreign invested enterprises held 3,517 memberships in technical committees as of the end of 2023, accounting for 6.0% of the total membership. These representatives participated in 821 technical committees, accounting for 61.4% of all committees. Specifically, foreign members accounted for 9.1% of technical committee membership in the primary industry, 69.8% in the secondary industry, 18.5% in the tertiary industry, and 2.6% in the social and public service sectors. Compared with mid-2025 figures, there has been a slight decrease in both total membership and committee coverage, reflecting a rebalancing of participation that EU stakeholders may wish to monitor over time.
The 2025 SAC statement also highlighted the continued role of foreign enterprises in enhancing China’s international standardization influences. It also noted that some foreign invested companies have observed improvements in China’s standardization capabilities, inclusiveness, and receptiveness, with the standardization environment having reached a globally competitive level. The participation of foreign enterprises in technical committees has transitioned from initially providing technical advice to now encompassing deeper, more active involvement. By integrating international perspectives with local practices, these enterprises have contributed to greater global compatibility of Chinese standards while also obtaining institutional support for their ongoing operations in the Chinese market.
Read the original 2025 SAC statement (in Chinese) here: https://www.sac.gov.cn/xw/bzhyw/art/2025/art_94410c50d5704ce39e5b8c2833beb097.html
Read the original China Central Television Report (in Chinese) here: https://www.chinanews.com/cj/2024/03-27/10187859.shtml
