On May 9, 2024, the State Administration for Market Regulation (SAMR) issued the draft named Administrative Measures for Adopting International Standards (hereinafter referred to as “the Administrative Measures”) to call for public comments. The call-for-comment period has ended on June 8, 2024.

The Administrative Measures was firstly issued in the 1980s in China for the purpose of strengthen the management of the adoption of international standards, improve the consistency of China's standards with international standards. It has been revised in 2001, the same year when China entered WTO as a formal member, and this version has been effective ever since.

The reason for this round of revision was stated as:

·         New requirements on the country’s standardization system mentioned in the important national policies and documents since 2012. For example, the Outline for National Standardization Development proposes that "the adoption rate of international standards shall reach more than 85% by 2025"

·         Being consistent with the relevant laws and regulations after their revision (e.g.: Standardization Law of the People's Republic of China).

·         Meeting the requirements of international intellectual property policies, as well as the requirements of socio-economic development, reform and innovation in China in recent years. 

The draft of the Administrative Measures comprises 26 articles that focus on various aspects, including the purpose, principles, adoption methods (identical or modified) of international standards, and requirements/principles related to the application, assessment, developing period, drafting, approval, and reviewing of national standard projects for adoption.

It is clear that international standards are standards from ISO , IEC and ITU.

Article 2 [Connotation and Definition] The “adoption of international standards” mentioned in these Measures refers to the formulation of national standards based on the standards drafted and published by the International organization for Standardization (ISO), the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC), and the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) (hereinafter referred to as the “ international standard organizations”), after analytical research and the necessary experimental verification.

Notably, the draft highlights the importance of adhering to intellectual property policies of international standards organizations, as outlined in Articles 4, 11, 16, and 18 of the Administrative Measures. These sections address principles, initiation, approval, and publication of national standard projects while also proposing measures for assessing and providing feedback on adopted international standards.

This initiative underscores China’s commitment to revising and improving mechanisms and management models for adopting international standards to align with current conditions and future objectives of the standardization management system. It demonstrates the aspiration to expand and expedite the integration of international standards. Furthermore, potential future revisions could enhance measures to promote the implementation of international standards, offering even greater benefits.

It is important to note that the draft exclusively focuses on national standards and does not include other types of standards, signaling China’s position against endorsing the adoption of international standards by local, association, or enterprise standards.

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