On February 7, 2024, the State Administration for Market Regulation (SAMR) issued the official interpretation for sector standard RB/T 176-2023 Specifications for electronic certificate of certification for compulsory product certification (hereinafter referred to as “the Standard”).

The Standard was issued by the National Certification and Accreditation Administration (CNCA), with a draft published for comments in April of 2023, and a final version that was implemented on December 1, 2023, with the purpose of:

• Accelerating the expansion of the application scope of electronic certificates and national mutual recognition;

• Promoting the establishment and improvement of the CCC certification electronic certificate mechanism;

• Promoting a wider application of electronic certificates in government services.

• It applies to the generation, processing, information exchange, and application of the CCC electronic certificate (“CCC e-certificate”). It does not apply to the CCC self-declaration.

The main contents of RB/T 176-2023 include:

• Information type: should conform with the metadata requirements stipulated in the GB/T 36903-2018; meaning it should cover all basic information and annotation information of the certificates.

• Archive management: should comply with i) technical requirements of GB/T 36905-2018; ii) all digital signature and electronic stamp requirements stipulated in the administrative measures; iii) safety measurements covered in Chapter VII; iv) requirements stipulating in the relevant CCC regulations regarding the suspension, cancellation, and information disclosure, etc.

• Metadata: include logo, issuing organization, certificate receiver, product information, validation and expiration, annotation, etc.

• A standard template of the e-certificate;

• Safety requirements: i) the digital signature and electronic stamp should be genuine and complete without being altered. The storage, signing, and verification should comply with requirements in the GB/T 33190-2016; ii) all electronic certification services on the signature and stamp should be provided by legal e-certification service bodies; iii) all cryptography technologies, digital signature, and electronic stamps should conform with requirements of national cryptography authorities; iv) process of issuing the signature and stamps must comply with the certification body’s business operating process.

For foreign stakeholders and MNCs, this standard is not only significant by its function on specifying the CCC e-certificate but also an effective tool to ensure or verify the CCC e-certificate they apply is genuine and valid.