The Lawyer's Guide to China's Technical Regulations for Imported Products

This volume provides a resource on China's statutory inspection and licensing regulations, primarily those promulgated and / or interpreted by the State Administration of Inspection and Quarantine (SAIQ) and the China State Bureau of Quality and Technical Supervision (CSBTS). These regulations affect a wide range of goods manufactured or imported to be sold in China, from automobile parts to household appliances. In addition to the regulations of SAIQ and CSBTS, many products must also obtain the certification of ministries and administrations traditionally involved in regulating particular industries. This volume contains appendices which contain the following information: contact information for the appropriate departments of the pertinent ministries and administrations; a sample product certification application form; CSBTS-CCEE catalogues of products for mandatory certification; SAIQ catalogue of products for mandatory certification; critical regulations translated from Chinese into English.
Regulatory affairs and compliance professionals refer to these regulations as standards and conformity assessment requirements, while those most generally involved in international trade refer to them as technical regulations. Those most familiar with Chinese laws might know the regulations as China's "Safety Quality Licensing System", the "Import Licensing System" or, as referred to by the Chinese government, "China's Standardization System". As this work went to the printers, there was a big change to the regime that issues technical regulations for imports to China. In April 2001, the State Administration for Import and Export Inspection and Quarantine (SAIQ) and the China State Bureau of Quality and Technical Supervision (CSBTS) were officially merged to become the State Administration for Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine (SAQSIQ). This measure was taken in large part to rectify the dual-product certifications that were required by the two previous agencies, a practice inconsistent with the World Trade Organization (WTO). China's technical regulations had been a barrier to its conclusion of WTO accession negotiations.
SAQSIQ is directly under the authority of the State Council. As of writing, it has retained all 320,000 employees of the two former agencies, and its internal organization has yet to be announced. All of the laws and regulations provided in this book are still in force and there has been no announcement for the timetable of new laws and regulations. SAQSIQ's chief missions are to review and withdraw conflicting local, provincial and national standards and to "homogenize" conformity assessment procedures so that equal treatment is provided to foreign and domestic suppliers. SAQSIQ will also conduct an extensive review of International Electrotechnical Union (IEC) and International Organization for Standardization (ISO) standards. When China accedes to the WTO, the China National Institute for Standardization will be China's WTO inquiry point.
 
This volume provides a resource on China's statutory inspection and licensing regulations, primarily those promulgated and / or interpreted by the State Administration of Inspection and Quarantine (SAIQ) and the China State Bureau of Quality and Technical Supervision (CSBTS). These regulations affect a wide range of goods manufactured or imported to be sold in China, from automobile parts to household appliances. In addition to the regulations of SAIQ and CSBTS, many products must also obtain the certification of ministries and administrations traditionally involved in regulating particular industries. This volume contains appendices which contain the following information: contact information for the appropriate departments of the pertinent ministries and administrations; a sample product certification application form; CSBTS-CCEE catalogues of products for mandatory certification; SAIQ catalogue of products for mandatory certification; critical regulations translated from Chinese into English.
Regulatory affairs and compliance professionals refer to these regulations as standards and conformity assessment requirements, while those most generally involved in international trade refer to them as technical regulations. Those most familiar with Chinese laws might know the regulations as China's "Safety Quality Licensing System", the "Import Licensing System" or, as referred to by the Chinese government, "China's Standardization System". As this work went to the printers, there was a big change to the regime that issues technical regulations for imports to China. In April 2001, the State Administration for Import and Export Inspection and Quarantine (SAIQ) and the China State Bureau of Quality and Technical Supervision (CSBTS) were officially merged to become the State Administration for Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine (SAQSIQ). This measure was taken in large part to rectify the dual-product certifications that were required by the two previous agencies, a practice inconsistent with the World Trade Organization (WTO). China's technical regulations had been a barrier to its conclusion of WTO accession negotiations.
SAQSIQ is directly under the authority of the State Council. As of writing, it has retained all 320,000 employees of the two former agencies, and its internal organization has yet to be announced. All of the laws and regulations provided in this book are still in force and there has been no announcement for the timetable of new laws and regulations. SAQSIQ's chief missions are to review and withdraw conflicting local, provincial and national standards and to "homogenize" conformity assessment procedures so that equal treatment is provided to foreign and domestic suppliers. SAQSIQ will also conduct an extensive review of International Electrotechnical Union (IEC) and International Organization for Standardization (ISO) standards. When China accedes to the WTO, the China National Institute for Standardization will be China's WTO inquiry point.