“China Standards 2035” is a strategic initiative by the Chinese government that aims to establish China as a global leader in setting technical standards across various industries, particularly in emerging and critical technologies. It’s a more ambitious and deeper program than the “Made in China 2025” initiative, focusing on shaping the rules of global production and exchange.
Here are some key aspects and goals of the “China Standards 2035″ project:
Global Leadership in Standards: The core objective is for China to exert greater influence in international standard-setting bodies (like ISO and IEC) and promote the adoption of Chinese domestic standards globally. This includes strategically placing Chinese officials and technology leaders in these organizations.
Economic and Geopolitical Aspirations: By leading in technical standards, China seeks to gain significant economic benefits through intellectual property rights, licensing fees, and optimizing its manufacturing industry. It also has broader geopolitical goals, aiming to solidify its place in global supply chains and shape the future direction of technological development.
Focus on Emerging Technologies: The initiative places a strong emphasis on setting standards for cutting-edge technologies, including but not limited to:
5G and next-generation communication
Artificial Intelligence (AI)
Quantum computing
Internet of Things (IoT)
Electric Vehicles (EVs)
Intelligent connected vehicles
Robotics
Smart manufacturing
Biomedical research
Molecular breeding
Self-driving cars
Domestic Standardization Revamp: The plan involves reforming China’s domestic technical standard-setting system. This includes state-tier standards (fully controlled by the government) and market-tier standards (developed with private industry input). The goal is to streamline the process, promote high-tech innovation, and improve the quality of domestic standards.
Integration with Other Strategies: “China Standards 2035” is closely tied to other national strategies, such as the “Belt and Road Initiative,” where China seeks to promote the international validity of its standards for infrastructure projects. It also aims to align its domestic standards with international ones where beneficial, while also pushing for its own standards to become international norms.
Investment in Research and Development: The strategy calls for establishing world-class standardization research institutions, quality standards laboratories, and innovation bases, along with incentives and subsidies for standards work.
In essence, “China Standards 2035” represents China’s long-term vision to move beyond being just a manufacturing powerhouse to becoming a rule-maker and innovator in the global technological landscape.
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The “National Standardization Development Outline” (国家标准化发展纲要) is a pivotal document in China’s overall strategy to become a global leader in technology and industry. Issued in October 2021 by the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China and the State Council, it’s China’s first long-term strategic outline on standardization, setting goals and missions for the country’s standardization efforts from 2025 to 2035.
Here’s a breakdown of its key objectives, features, and impacts:
Core Objectives and Vision:
Elevating Standardization’s Strategic Position: The Outline aims to upgrade the strategic positioning of standardization activities, recognizing standards as fundamental technical support for economic activities and social development, and a crucial aspect of national governance.
Driving High-Quality Development: It’s explicitly designed to promote high-quality development across various industries and contribute to building China into a modernized socialist country.
Global Influence: A central goal is to significantly enhance China’s participation in international standard-setting and promote the adoption of Chinese standards globally, shifting from being a standard-taker to a standard-setter. This directly ties into the “China Standards 2035” initiative.
Domestic System Reform: The Outline seeks to build an “internationally compatible, government-led, enterprise-oriented, and socially participatory standardization management system with Chinese characteristics.” This involves improving both mandatory and recommended national standards, and fostering market-driven standards.
Key Shifts and Transformations by 2025 (and beyond to 2035):
The Outline outlines “Four Transformations” by 2025:
From government-driven to equally government and market-driven: This signifies a greater role for industry and private enterprise in developing standards.
From industry- and trade-driven to economy and society as a whole: Expanding the scope of standardization to cover all aspects of economic and social life, not just industrial production and trade.
From domestically driven to mutual promotion between domestic and international interests: Increasing international cooperation and the global adoption of Chinese standards, while also improving the consistency of national standards with international ones.
From quantity and scale to qualitative benefit: Emphasizing the quality, effectiveness, and impact of standards rather than just the number of standards produced.
Seven Key Missions (among others):
Mutual development of standardization and science and technological innovation: This is a crucial link, aiming to translate R&D breakthroughs into standards quickly and efficiently, particularly in emerging technologies like AI, quantum computing, 5G, IoT, and intelligent connected vehicles.
Improvement of industrial standardization: Focusing on upgrading traditional industries and promoting advanced manufacturing through standards.
Standardization for green development: Establishing standards for energy conservation, renewable energy, carbon emissions, environmental protection, and green finance.
Accelerate standardization of urban and rural construction and social construction: Covering areas like smart cities, public services, administrative management, and data security.
Improve standardization and opening to the outside world: Strengthening international cooperation and participation in global standardization bodies.
Solidify the foundation for standardization development: Investing in research institutions, quality standards laboratories, and technological standards innovation bases.
Improvement of the Standard Essential Patent (SEP) system: Strengthening intellectual property protection in standard development.
Impact and Implications:
Geopolitical Instrument: The Outline reinforces China’s view of standards as a geopolitical tool to enhance its global influence, secure supply chains, and reduce reliance on foreign technologies.
Economic Advantage: By setting and promoting its own standards, China aims to gain economic benefits through licensing fees, intellectual property, and a stronger competitive edge for its domestic industries in global markets.
Faster Standard Development: The outline aims to shorten the average period for formulating national standards (to less than 18 months) and accelerate their implementation.
Increased International Engagement: Expect more aggressive Chinese participation in international standards organizations, potentially leading to increased competition or collaboration depending on the technology and political climate.
Opportunities and Challenges for Foreign Businesses: Foreign companies operating in China need to closely track the development and implementation of these standards, as they can significantly impact market access, product design, and compliance requirements. There’s both the potential for new market opportunities by aligning with Chinese standards and the challenge of navigating potentially different or proprietary standards.
