A view of the Lujiazui area in Shanghai's Pudong New Area. [Photo/VCG]

As a pioneering hub for China's reform and opening-up, Shanghai's Pudong New Area has made notable progress in the fields of certification, accreditation, inspection and testing through institutional innovations, platform building and industry empowerment.

The State Administration for Market Regulation recently unveiled measures to support Pudong in advancing high-level opening-up of its certification and accreditation undertaking.

These aim to leverage Pudong's strengths to foster a new development momentum and bolster its role in connecting international and domestic economic cycles.

Promoting global cooperation

Standout initiatives are ongoing to support Pudong in establishing an international service platform for certification and accreditation and in piloting cooperation for international mutual recognition.

The China (Shanghai) Pilot Free Trade Zone's Belt and Road Technology Exchange Center for International Cooperation — set up in Pudong in 2018 — has expanded its reach to the Middle East, East Asia, Southeast Asia, Central Asia and South America.

This global cooperation network — comprising the Pudong-based center, five overseas sub-centers in those regions, the Sino-Saudi qualification assessment workstation and the Saudi service station — has issued a cumulative total of over 500,000 international certification certificates, driving exports worth more than $10 billion.

With the support of the SAMR, Pudong plans to establish an independent third-party organization on the basis of the cooperation center.

The organization is said to be led by the government and involve various institutions, organizations, universities and research institutes.

The move aims to enhance international mutual recognition of testing and certification results, promote interoperability of technical standards and rules — and position Pudong as a vital bridge in the international certification and accreditation arena.

By supporting certification bodies in expanding voluntary product certification qualifications and achieving mutual recognition with overseas institutions, Pudong is aiming high.

It strives to integrate international best practice, facilitate global trade and reinforce its role as a pivotal hub in the international and domestic economic cycles.

Strengthening service functions

The Shanghai service platform of the China National Accreditation Service for Conformity Assessment, or CNAS, was established in Pudong's Zhangjiang area in 2018 — serving as the only CNAS service platform outside Beijing — providing services and support to institutions in Shanghai and the Yangtze River Delta region.

The recent measures also emphasize strengthening Pudong's accreditation services to boost the domestic and international competitiveness of enterprises.

It will be assisted in exploring the simultaneous conducting and gradual expansion of Shanghai-based qualification certification and accreditation under the China Metrology Accreditation or CMA and the CNAS.

In this way, it aims to streamline assessment processes, enhance service quality, reduce certification timelines and attract more top-quality businesses to the area — fostering industry clusters and optimizing industrial structures.

Boosting industry upgrades

Under the support measures, the SAMR will focus on the development needs of strategic emerging industries, high-tech industries and future industries to support Pudong in applying to establish a national quality inspection center.

Pudong has set up four quality inspection centers — which focus on integrated circuits, biopharmaceuticals, aerospace equipment and medical robotics.

The construction of the future national quality inspection center is believed to provide more precise and efficient quality testing and technical support for Pudong's key industries — enhancing product quality and innovation capabilities in the area.

The recent measures are expected to create a chain reaction, enhancing Pudong's alignment with international high-standard economic and trade rules — attracting quality resources to the area, while boosting its influence in the certification and accreditation field.

These initiatives are said to not only help facilitate international market expansion for businesses, but also propel Pudong's open economy — creating more opportunities for trade facilitation and collaborative growth.

Source: Pudong New Area