Improve standardization to build a unified market

LI MIN/CHINA DAILY The third plenary session of the 20th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China set clear goals for accelerating the construction of a unified national market. The communique issued by the third plenary session emphasizes the need to improve the national standardization system, deepen local standards' management reform, promote fair competition, boost efforts to curb monopoly and unfair competition, and abandon regulations and practices that hinder the development of a unified national market. Some local governments set market entry thresholds under the guise of local standards, blocking the entry of products and services from other areas and thus undermining efforts to develop a unified national market. First, there is a need to make standardization a national strategic priority by establishing a national standardization development framework that outlines the reform goals, key tasks and implementation methods, as well as by coordinating the development methods of national, industrial, local and group standards, with the aim of establishing a standardization ecosystem based on government guidance, market regulations and social participation. Fourth, the authorities should also increase central and local government funding for promoting standardization, including establishing dedicated funds to support the development and implementation of standards, utilize government procurement policies to encourage the adoption of advanced standards, improve financial support methods including offering loans and guarantees to the businesses involved in standardization work, and attract more private capital to the standardization field.