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APEC Seeks Collaboration on Standards
The second annual meeting of the APEC Sub-Committee on Standards and Conformance (SCSC) concluded in Shenzhen Tuesday with a series of achievements made in collaborating standards among APEC economies.
The SCSC meeting is part of a series of related meetings of the Second Senior Officials' Meeting (SOM II) of the 13th APEC Ministerial Meeting, which opened here on May 26 and will last until May 31.
The meeting, attracting 63 participants from 19 APEC members, is the largest in scale among all the related meetings.
After thorough discussion, participants adopted a working plan put forward by China on the issue of SPS -- the Agreement on the Implementation of Sanitary and Phytosanitory Measures.
The SPS, an important agreement under the WTO, advocates a scientific basis for sanitary and phytosanitory measures and serves for a healthy development of international trade of food and agricultural products.
The SPS issue, listed as a priority task of the SCSC at its first annual meeting in Beijing February, has been jointly undertaken by China and Mexico.
Delegates also discussed the revision of principles, guiding standards and conformity assessment, which, in some part, do not accord to current international practices. China's proposal in this respect has won support from member economies.
During the 4-day meeting, delegates discussed the reform of SCSC agenda, SCSC projects and some 50 documents under 19 topics. They also made a breakthrough in drafting out a standard format for information exchange concerning mutual recognition.
Twelve APEC members even agreed to a series of documents urging participating members to accept mutual recognition of test reports and certification of electronic and electrical products.
The SCSC's major task falls into four categories: to align APEC members' standards with international standards; to achieve mutual recognition of conformity assessment in regulated and voluntary sectors; to promote co-operation for technical infrastructure development; and to ensure the transparency of the standards and conformity assessment.
Following the meeting of APEC sub-committees and forums, the Second Senior Officials' Meeting of the 13th APEC Ministerial Meeting will be held on June 2-3, also in Shenzhen.
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