China to set up technical trade barrier warning system

While releasing information on the progress of the Research on Key Technological Standards - a national key scientific and technological topic, the Ministry of Science and Technology revealed that in order to cope with foreign technical barriers China would set up a technical trade barrier warning system in three phases.

Experts said since China joined the WTO the impact of foreign technical trade barriers on China's export has expanded rapidly. Large amounts of import are also exerting growing negative impact on China's environment and domestic industrial development. In order to cope with foreign technical barriers the establishment of a Chinese technical trade measures system has become an urgent task in developing China's foreign trade and protecting environment and domestic market. Therefore the Research on Key Technological Standards set up an important item - Technical Trade Barrier Measures Strategy and Warning Project Solution. It put forward Chinese technical trade measures response strategy and construction solution for technical trade measures warning system from three aspects, namely, trade and industrial development, environmental protection and the security protection of people's lives.

The solution believes that China may take three steps to establish a technical trade barrier warning system, which is characterized by coordination among departments, leading role of industries, corporate participation and scientific and technological support. First, in one to two years warning systems are set up in key industries to realize rapid response. Second, in three to five years standard level of key industries are improved to turn passive response into active response. Third, in five to eight years comprehensive Chinese standards in line with market economy and internationalization are forged to realize strategic response.

As a supporting measure for the implementation of the Technical Trade Barrier Measures Strategy and Warning Project Solution, the Research on Key Technological Standards also launched the Research on Technical Trade Measures of Several Key Products, which enacts relevant technical standards and examination measures for exported products and product groups most affected by foreign technical trade barriers and imported ones exerting most impact on the development of domestic industries.

Based on existing research results and the development of technical barriers the topic put forward three major problems that emphatically demand solution when China responds to foreign technical trade barriers. They includes the problems of drug residues in agricultural products (food, aquatic products and domestic animals), substitution of banned products in chemical products and intellectual property rights in high-tech products.

By People's Daily Online