On June 10, 2026, the State Administration for Market Regulation (SAMR) held a press conference to unveil its latest achievements in quality certification international cooperation, underscoring its commitment to facilitating global trade and supporting the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI).
The SAMR presented three key data points that illustrate the scale of its progress.
- In multilateral cooperation, the SAMR has signed 15 mutual recognition agreements and recommended 84 certification and inspection bodies to join the IEC Conformity Assessment Systems, which collectively issue over 10,000 certificates and reports annually for electronic components, electrical equipment, and renewable energy products. This “one-test, multiple-acceptance” mechanism now covers regions representing more than 95% of global economic output, significantly easing market access for Chinese exporters.
- On the bilateral front, the SAMR has signed 159 cooperation documents with over 40 countries and regions, and just this year alone, new memoranda have been signed with the United Kingdom, Spain, and Pakistan to deepen collaboration in information exchange and capacity building.
- Chinese certification bodies have also accelerated their global footprint. By end-2025, six Chinese institutions had set up 25 overseas branches across 19 countries, while 28 others have secured foreign authorizations to run 106 certification projects covering 35 countries and regions.
Alongside these figures, the SAMR released two major outcomes at the conference: a collection of 10 exemplary cases showcasing “soft connectivity” in quality certification under the BRI, and the Guidelines for Local Market Regulation Departments on Quality Certification International Cooperation, which provide a practical roadmap for local authorities to better serve regional enterprises and economic development.
Looking ahead, the SAMR plans to deepen international cooperation by developing targeted mutual recognition projects with Belt and Road and member states of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP), while taking a more active role in global rule-setting and peer reviews within the conformity assessment community. It will also promote proven models such as “one-test, multiple-acceptance” and set up more responsive government-business communication channels to address the certification needs of Chinese companies expanding abroad. Meanwhile, a new evaluation system will be introduced to assess and strengthen the international capabilities of certification bodies, supporting their efforts to build overseas service networks and expand their global presence.
China is transitioning from a rule-taker to a more active rule-maker in global conformity assessment. Chinese certification bodies are expanding rapidly but remain modest in scale, which could offer collaboration opportunities for European institutions alongside potential competition. European stakeholders may find it useful to engage in dialogue with their Chinese counterparts as a means of managing future compliance costs arising from regulatory divergence.
Source: https://www.samr.gov.cn/xwxcs/xwxc/art/2026/art_3e64d43b4d8b420996d4189747a257fd.html
