On 26 September 2025, the National Standardization Administration of China (SAC) released the Notice on Initiating the Review of Mandatory National Standards for 2025. This notice was circulated to 17 competent authorities, each responsible for reviewing the mandatory national standards within their respective sectors. In accordance with the Standardization Law of China and Administrative Measures for Mandatory National Standards, such reviews are conducted annually for those mandatory national standards that have not undergone review for five consecutive years.

Scope of the Review

  • All mandatory national standards that have been in implementation for five years or have reached five years since their last review will be included in this round of review.
  • Except for those standards that have already been scheduled for revision or have ongoing revision projects, the list of standards proposed for review is annexed to the notice.
  • Standards not included in the annex may also be incorporated into the review process as needed.

Content of the Review

(1) Applicability:
Assesses whether the products, processes, or services covered by the standard remain relevant and whether the scope adequately includes new technologies or applications. Outdated standards should be abolished, while those with insufficient coverage should be revised.

(2) Normativeness:
Evaluates whether the technical content is verifiable, operable, and fully mandatory. If requirements are unclear, unverifiable, or only partially mandatory, the standard should be revised.

(3) Timeliness:
Examines whether the technical indicators meet current industrial, safety, and environmental needs and align with international standards. Standards that are outdated, inconsistent, or over 10 years old generally require revision.

(4) Coordination:
Checks consistency between the standard and existing laws, regulations, other mandatory standards, and national industrial policies. Any inconsistencies should result in a recommendation for revision.

Review Process

  • Phase 1: Standards Review

Organizing departments, or designated national technical committees, conduct the review of listed standards through surveys, data analysis, enterprise research, and technical validation, producing a Review Report. Standards deemed “revise” require a project proposal and draft standard, while those deemed “abolish” must include a transition period and justification.

  • Phase 2: Expert Evaluation

Organizing departments convene expert panels to evaluate the review reports and determine the final review conclusions.

  • Phase 3: Submission

By 30 November 2025, organizing departments must submit all review conclusions and reports to SAC.

SESEC recommends European stakeholders to go through the full list of standards to be reviewed and monitor the outcome of the review in order to identify any adjustment of mandatory national standards that might affect market access.

The full list can be found at this link: https://www.sac.gov.cn/xw/tzgg/art/2025/art_7175217c70c14751af36840da7f6b6fa.html

If you need English translation, please contact us via email at assistant@sesec.eu