The General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine Will Take Four Measures to Promote Quality Inspection Cooperation Among Countries Along the Belt and Road Initiative

[Introduction] On May 14, the parallel thematic meeting on "Promoting Unimpeded Trade" of the Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation was held in Beijing. Zhi Shuping, Director of the General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine (AQSIQ), attended the meeting and delivered a speech.

Zhi Shuping emphasized that President Xi Jinping, in his speech at the forum's opening ceremony this morning, proposed "promoting the interconnection of policies, rules, and standards to provide institutional guarantees for connectivity," and pushing for the "early launch and early results" of cooperation projects in customs, inspection and quarantine, and other areas. Zhi Shuping stated that the AQSIQ will earnestly implement President Xi Jinping's requirements, working with countries along the Belt and Road to actively promote the interconnection of quality and technical infrastructure, ensure quality and safety, eliminate technical barriers, and facilitate international trade.

Zhi Shuping pointed out that trade plays an extremely important role in the Belt and Road Initiative. President Xi Jinping's "Five Connections" concept includes unimpeded trade as a key component. As internationally recognized national quality infrastructure, standards, metrology, certification and accreditation, and inspection and testing are the common technical languages of nations and also the bridges and links for unimpeded trade. As the competent authority for quality and technical infrastructure, the General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine (AQSIQ) has earnestly implemented President Xi Jinping's initiatives, proactively strengthened practical cooperation with countries along the Belt and Road Initiative, established cooperation mechanisms and platforms, promoted interconnectivity in quality infrastructure, carried out practical cooperation to facilitate trade, and strengthened joint prevention and control of epidemics, achieving phased results.

Zhi Shuping emphasized that President Xi Jinping clearly stated at the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting 2017: "We must unswervingly develop an open world economy, sharing opportunities and benefits and achieving mutual benefit and win-win results through openness. We must make great efforts to develop global connectivity, enabling all countries to achieve interconnected growth and move towards common prosperity. We must unswervingly develop global free trade and investment, promoting trade and investment liberalization and facilitation through openness, and resolutely opposing protectionism." Premier Li Keqiang clearly stated in his 2017 Government Work Report that it is necessary to promote the liberalization and facilitation of international trade and investment. These positions and viewpoints are consistent with the Belt and Road Initiative's principles of "consultation, joint construction, and shared benefits." In response, China's General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine (AQSIQ) is willing to work with countries along the Belt and Road Initiative to actively promote the interconnection of quality and technical infrastructure, ensure quality and safety, eliminate technical barriers, and facilitate international trade.

Regarding countries along the Belt and Road, Zhi Shuping proposed four initiatives: First, promote mutual recognition of standards to facilitate standardized trade. Based on international standards, strengthen the coordination and mutual recognition of standards to standardize trade operations and facilitate international trade. Second, strengthen metrological cooperation to facilitate fair trade. Establish a metrological information exchange mechanism to promote international mutual recognition of type evaluation results for measuring instruments and promote international equivalence of measurement values. Third, promote cooperation in certification and accreditation to facilitate mutually beneficial trade. Strengthen policy communication, seek solutions for equivalence and consistency, and develop common certification and accreditation standards in areas of common interest to achieve "one standard, one certificate, regional access, and global mutual recognition." Fourth, deepen cooperation in inspection and quarantine to facilitate safe trade. Strengthen technical exchanges and information sharing on disease and epidemic monitoring, risk assessment, rapid testing, notification of non-compliant products, and recall; promote the alignment of relevant systems, certificate networking, law enforcement cooperation, and joint risk prevention among countries along the Belt and Road; build a community of shared future for quality and safety; and solidify the security foundation for unimpeded trade.

During the Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation, Zhi Shuping attended the opening ceremony and high-level plenary session of the forum. He signed inspection and quarantine work documents with officials from Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and the Netherlands, and signed a Memorandum of Understanding on Cooperation between the General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine (AQSIQ) and UNIDO with Li Yong, Director-General of UNIDO.

Before and after the Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation, Zhi Shuping also met with officials from relevant departments of countries along the Belt and Road and signed a series of documents on behalf of AQSIQ, including an inspection and quarantine cooperation agreement, cooperation agreements in national quality and technical infrastructure fields such as standards, metrology, and certification and accreditation, and a joint initiative on strengthening standards cooperation to promote the Belt and Road Initiative.