SUMMARY REPORT

U.S.-China Standards, Testing and Certification Workshop

U.S. Department of Commerce
H.C. Hoover Building
Washington, DC
February 17-18, 1998

Sponsors

U.S. Department of Commerce's Technology Administration's "National Institute of Standards and Technology," and the International Trade Administration's "Market Access and Compliance," in cooperation with U.S. trade associations, professional societies, and standards and conformity assessment bodies.

Purpose

The U.S. Secretary of Commerce, William Daley, in cooperation with the China Minister of Foreign Trade and Economic Cooperation (MOFTEC), Madam Wu Yi, both of whom serve as co-chairs of the Joint Commission on Commerce and Trade (JCCT), arranged for senior officials and experts from Chinese agencies to participate in a Workshop at the Department of Commerce in Washington D.C., on February 17 and 18, 1998, for the purpose of assisting U.S. business interests desirous of exporting products to China. China's agencies represented include: MOFTEC, the State Administration of Import and Export Commodity Inspection (SACI), the China Commission for Conformity Certification of Electrical Equipment (CCEE), and the Ministry of Labor.

Summary

The Workshop had near two-hundred and fifty participants from US industry, representing the information technology, telecommunications, medical equipment, consumer appliances, industrial electrical appliances, automotive and boilers and pressure vessels sectors. After some introductory remarks by senior officials of the Department of Commerce, Deputy Under Secretary Timothy J. Hauser and Acting Ambassador Wenzhong Zhou of the Peoples Republic of China witnessed the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding for technical cooperation between ASME International (also known as the American Society of Mechanical Engineers) and the China Ministry of Labor; the MOU calls for coordinating the activities of both entities in boilers and pressure vessels assessments to benefit companies seeking accreditation and licensing (http://www.asme.org) . This MOU set the tone for the encouragement of further cooperative efforts between corresponding enterprises in both China and the United States - a tone that pervaded the two days of detailed discussions. The keynote speaker further motivated the Workshop participants by illustrating the value of pursuing a vision entitled "One Standard-One Test, Supplier's Declaration of Conformity" to achieve cost-effective international trade.

The Chinese delegation that reported on the details of their technical requirements and entertained questions from US industry included:

Qiu Yiliang, General Director , SACI
Feng Xiao, Chief, SACI
Zhang Xiaodong, Senior Engineer, SACI
Liu Shifeng, Vice General Director, MOL
Zhang Ruihua, Senior Engineer, CCEE
Liu Li Rong, Division Director, MOL

The products requiring safety inspection in China are numerous; many were listed by China's government in 1989, others in 1995 and 1997. The principal agencies responsible for issuing the regulations differ in accordance with the product; e.g., boilers and pressure vessels fall under the purview of the Ministry of Labor, electrical products under one or more agencies, such as the State Administration for Import and Export Commodity Inspection (SACI), the China Commission for Conformity Certification of Electrical Equipment, the Ministry of Health, the Ministry of Telecommunications, etc. There are separate regulations issued for every type of product; and all the regulations are issued and published by SACI. SACI and the China Quality Certification Center for Import and Export Commodities (CQC) have arrangements with some conformity assessment bodies in the US and other nations that can facilitate the acceptance of foreign made products into China. China is also a participant in international product certification programs such as the CB Scheme, also known as the Scheme of the International Electrotechnical Commission for the Mutual Recognition of Results of Testing of Electrical Equipment, and, as such , accepts the test data generated under that scheme towards whatever technical requirements agencies in China have set forth as falling under the Commodity Inspection Law.

The discussions on electrical safety included an overview of the conformity assessment system in the People's Republic of China and the technical requirements for electrical safety of industrial and consumer products. Included was a discussion of the national standards of the People's Republic of China - "GB Standards" and the development and issue of national standards - relevant ministries and CSBTS (China State Bureau of Technical Supervision) as well as the relationship of "GB Standards" for electrical safety with International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) standards. Additionally, there was discussion of the certification requirements under CCEE, laws which mandate CCEE certification, products presently regulated by CCEE, effective dates for mandatory certification, how to address products not included in the regulated product lists, certification procedure, applications and fees, type approval process through CCEE, alternative routes to obtaining type approval - CCEE's participation in the IECEE's CB (Certification Body) Scheme, application of the CCEE "Great Wall" Mark, follow-up factory inspections and expiration of license.

Explanations of the certification requirements under SACI were provided by the delegates from China, including laws which mandate certification, a description of SACI's structure, the CCIB (China Commodity Inspection Bureau), the CQC (China Quality Certification Center for Import and Export Commodities), products presently regulated by SACI, effective dates for mandatory certification, how to address products not included in the regulated product lists, applications and fees, type approval process through SACI, alternative routes to obtaining type approval, initial factory inspections, application of the certification mark for a product approved by SACI, issue of the Import Commodity Safety License Certificate and CCIB Mark, follow-up factory inspections and expiration of license. The compliance requirements for electromagnetic compatibility (EMC) of products were also reviewed along with a presentation outlining the trends in the conformity assessment scheme of the People's Republic of China.

The workshop discussions on boilers and pressure vessels included a review of the specific equipment covered; e.g., boilers, transportable pressure vessels, stationary pressure vessels, safety valves and rupture disks, and miscellaneous requirements for spare parts, components of vessels to be assembled in China, valves which are shipped with licensed boilers and pressure vessels, etc. The types of licensing for manufacturer approval and type approval were reviewed. The delegates described the roles of organizations relevant to licensing; organization of MOL and the specific duties and responsibilities of CBPVI, SQLO, and OBA, the role of SACI and provincial boiler inspectors. They also outlined the procedures for application and fees, including typical time frames from submittal of application to receipt of license, fee schedules and sample fees from actual assessments, and the procedure for companies with more than one facility. Additionally, detailed discussions were held on the quality management requirements, the technical and safety requirements (including foreign codes and standards accepted and additional technical requirements), reviews, surveys, and assessments, issuance and use of license, registering licensed products and the inspection of equipment upon entering China.

The Workshop representatives from both China and the United States agreed to conduct additional workshops, both here and in China later this year and next year in order to further reduce any potential for non-tariff trade barriers resulting from differences in standards or conformity assessment practices.

Workshop Organizers:

Notes:

1. Transcripts (both electronic and paper copy) of the Workshop are available for those that did not register for the Workshop from:

   Hunt Reporting
   12 Crain Highway, NW
   Glen Burnie, MD 21061-3517
   Phone: 410-766-4868

   Workshop attendees receive a copy of the transcripts as part of their Registration.

2. Details on future Workshops will be posted on the NIST WEB site at:

   http://www.nist.gov/public_affairs/confpage/
   
   and
   
   http://ts.nist.gov/ts/htdocs/210/gsig/gsig.htm

3. Further information can be obtained from the cited Workshop Organizers and the Facilitators for this Workshop, namely:

   David Haataja, Underwriters Laboratories, Inc.
   David Wizda, ASME International
   John Godfrey, Information Technology Industry Council
   Dennis Hussey, GE Medical Systems