A State Council document released on Sept 10 lays out an action plan for the first phase of reform of technical standardization (2015-16), vowing to steer Chinese standards to international norms.

According to the plan, the government will evaluate current mandatory standards on a national, local and industrial scale, and eliminate the ones that are obsolete. Those no longer requiring compliance will be turned into recommended standards, and those that require compliance will be revised and integrated.

Similar measures will also be applied to the current recommended standards, on which a thorough review will help abolish outdated standards and amend the ones that lag behind industrial and technological development.

The government will encourage Chinese enterprises, industrial technology alliances and social organizations to participate in international standardization efforts and create an open and transparent environment for foreign capital to flow into China’s standardization reform.

Furthermore, governments are urged to formulate plans for Chinese standards in the industries of railway, electricity, steel, aerospace and nuclear to “go abroad”, focusing on strategic initiatives such as “One Belt, One Road” and “Made in China 2025”.

The State Council will provide reinforced budget and regulation support to further advance the reform.