On May 19, 2026, SAC/TC20 (Energy Fundamentals and Management), which manages and drafts all national standards related to minimum allowable values and grades of energy efficiency of China, issued notice to call for drafting units again for mandatory standard project Minimum allowable values of energy efficiency and energy efficiency grades for welding machines (project no.: 20261404-Q-469, hereinafter referred to as “the Standard Project”). The deadline to submit application for becoming drafting units is June 24, 2026.

The Standard Project was approved by the National Standardization Administration of China (SAC) on March 2, 2026 as a revision for the existing standard GB 28736-2019 with the same name, meaning that once the Standard Project is approved, it will replace GB 28736-2019. China National Institute of Standardization (CNIS), the entity who held the responsibilities of secretariat of SAC/TC20, called for drafting units once back in March after the project approval, indicating more participants are needed for providing different inputs to complete this revision work.

In this recruitment notice, the TC clarified the qualifications required for applicants as below:

- Applying unit should be able to provide professional support for standard development, and the recommended experts from the applying drafting unit must possess strong professional capabilities, ensuring their full participation in the process of developing or revising national standards and timely completion of assigned technical tasks.

- No more than two individuals from the same organization may register to participate in drafting or co-drafting of the Standard Project.

- Participating organizations should be able to provide necessary support according to the requirements of each stage of standard development, including research, verification, translation, formulation, discussion, validation, and dissemination etc.

Relevant foreign stakeholders are advised to be aware that:

- The revision of energy efficiency standards in China generally leads to stricter technical requirements for corresponding product category, therefore such products need to stay compliant when the new mandatory stipulations are effective.

- For those with legally registered entity in China, it is encouraged to connect with the TC to get involved in the standard formulation, or at least maintain certain scale of communication with the TC on the latest updates.