On February 20, the State Council Information Office held a routine policy briefing. During the conference, Zhou Weijun, Director of the Credit Supervision and Management Department of the State Administration for Market Regulation (SAMR), responded to inquiries regarding whether foreign enterprises can participate in the formulation and revision of standards related to large-scale equipment renewal and consumer goods trade-in (“Two New” initiative).
Zhou Weijun explained that standard improvement is a key driver for advancing the “Two New” initiative. SAMR plans to develop 294 related national standards in 2024 and 2025, with 168 standards already released. These include 81 standards in the field of equipment renewal, 49 standards related to consumer goods trade-in, and 38 standards for waste product recycling.
Regarding foreign enterprises’ participation in standard formulation and revision, Zhou emphasized that relevant authorities have consistently maintained a supportive and inclusive approach. The Guiding Opinions on Foreign-Invested Enterprises Participating in China’s Standardization Work, jointly issued by the Standardization Administration of China (SAC), the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC), and the Ministry of Commerce (MOFCOM), clearly outlines the role of foreign-invested enterprises in China’s standardization system, including their participation scope, patent protection, rights, and obligations.
“In practice, we have made efforts to ensure transparency in the formulation and revision of national standards, allowing foreign enterprises to participate in key processes such as project initiation, drafting, public consultation, and review through the National Public Service Platform for Standards Information. At the same time, we have expanded the inclusiveness of technical committee memberships by opening the nomination process to the public during the establishment and renewal of standardization technical organizations,” Zhou stated. As of the end of 2024, foreign enterprise representatives participated in the work of 837 national professional standardization technical committees, accounting for 61% of all technical committees.
Looking ahead, SAMR, in collaboration with relevant departments, will accelerate the development of key standards and formulate policy documents to steadily expand institutional openness in standardization. It will also support foreign experts’ participation in the formulation of association standards and related specialized standardization technical organizations. SAMR welcomes more foreign enterprises and experts to actively engage in standard development and revision to contribute to the success of the “Two New” initiative.
