On July 13, 2023, the State Administration for Market Regulation issued the draft of Regulations of the People's Republic of China on Certification and Accreditation (hereinafter referred to as “the Regulations”) to call for public comments. The call-for-comment period will end on July 29, 2023.

The current edition of the Regulations was revised in 2020 and must be adhered to when taking on certification and accreditation projects within the People's Republic of China.

Compared with the present Regulations, the main modifications of this draft include:

·   Adding “inspection and testing activities” into applying scope and all the relevant requirements within.

·   Specifying the definitions of “inspection and testing” and “conformity assessment”.

·   Combining chapters II and III (all regarding accreditation in the present effective version) into a single chapter and adding an additional chapter for inspection and testing requirements.

·   Reinforcing trans-department coordination for system management, and specifically stipulate the establishment of a “Ministerial Joint Meeting of Accreditation and Certification Works”.

·   Emphasizing the importance of international cooperation and communication in the field and encouraging such activities.

·   Putting forwards the significance and basic scope of an informatized and digital management system for accreditation and certification in the country.

More details are elaborated and modified in the Regulation draft, and if you need more information or the complete translation of this document, please contact: contact@bestao-consulting.com

(Edited by ML)