China boosts high-end manufacturing standards under 14th Five-Year Plan

<article><section data-type="rtext"><img data-alt="Industrial robots are operating on an intelligent production line in a smart manufacturing enterprise in Yangzhou, East China's Jiangsu Province. Photo: VCG" src="//img.huanqiucdn.cn/dp/api/files/imageDir/cdb9b53b0d0f0b56693a4606722413c2.jpg?imageView2/2/w/750" />China's market regulator highlighted on Thursday the country's continuous efforts to improve its advanced manufacturing standards system during the 14th Five-Year Plan period (2021-25), supporting key sectors such as new energy and aerospace while emphasizing its leading role in developing international standards to facilitate global trade. Achievements in advanced manufacturing standards have become an engine for industrial upgrading and technological innovation, supporting the national economy's high-quality growth and boosting key sectors' global competitiveness, Xiao Han, director of the standards innovation department of the State Administration for Market Regulation (SAMR), told a press briefing, according to a news release on the administration's website. From 2021 to 2025, more than 4,000 national standards were released in key sectors including integrated circuits, new materials, new-energy vehicles (NEVs), robotics, and aerospace equipment, Xiao said, noting the critical role of these standards in building a modern industrial system and ensuring the security and stability of key industrial and supply chains. Among the highlights, 491 national standards were issued in the smart manufacturing sector, providing high-quality references for the digital and intelligent transformation of manufacturing enterprises, according to SAMR data. Progress in the new-energy sector has also been steady. The SAMR said that 95 national standards were released for NEVs, playing a significant role in enhancing coordination across the automotive industry chain, improving production efficiency, and reducing costs. In the solar photovoltaic sector, 221 national standards were introduced, helping to prevent irrational competition and promote high-quality development. Meanwhile, the SAMR data showed that nearly 20 percent of all group standards focus on advanced manufacturing areas such as next-generation information technology and high-end equipment manufacturing, providing essential support for industrial upgrading and technological innovation. These advances came amid the Chinese government's ongoing efforts during the 14th Five-Year Plan period to advance high-end, intelligent, and green manufacturing, accelerating the country's transformation into a manufacturing powerhouse. As China's industrial system becomes more complex and specialized, the development of high-end manufacturing increasingly relies on standards to ensure smooth coordination across the supply chain, Hu Qimu, deputy secretary-general of the Forum 50 for Digital-Real Economies Integration, told the Global Times on Thursday. "China's emphasis on manufacturing standards for key industries shows the country's more systematic and scientific approach to setting national standards," Hu said, stressing that this will help reduce redundant investments caused by inconsistent standards, boost coordination efficiency, and drive faster industrial upgrades and high-quality economic growth. Over the past five years, China has steadily bolstered its manufacturing standards system. In 2024, four departments, including the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT), jointly issued a three-year action plan emphasizing the role of standards in promoting high-end supply, rational structure, green development, digital transformation, and system security in the raw materials industry. The National Standardization Administration and the MIIT issued a notice on July 1, 2025, requiring the building of a high-quality standards system for industrial mother machines by 2026, seeking to enhance product quality, facilitate equipment upgrades, and strengthen the resilience and security of the industrial mother machine supply chain. Following the notice, the SAMR announced a series of national standards for emerging industries, with seven standards supporting artificial intelligence, information technology, and the Internet of Things to drive digital service growth, and five standards for data centers, cybersecurity technologies, and software engineering to foster greater integration and connectivity across the digital economy, the Xinhua News Agency reported. At Thursday's briefing, Xiao also pointed to achievements made in developing international standards to enhance industrial competitiveness under the 14th Five-Year Plan. From 2021 to 2025, China proposed 880 international standard initiatives in fields such as NEVs, new power systems, and aerospace, and led the formulation of 532 international standards. Meanwhile, China actively promoted compatibility between domestic and international standards systems, converting 4,210 advanced and applicable international standards into national standards. The conversion rate of global standards in key areas exceeded 90 percent, the official said. "China-led international standards in advanced manufacturing fields like smart manufacturing, nanomanufacturing, smart grids, and new-energy storage systems are steadily breaking down technical barriers through global standardization efforts," Xiao said. These standards provide a compliance framework and quality assurance for China's high-end equipment, key components, and large-scale equipment sets to access global markets, boosting the comparability and competitiveness of Chinese products worldwide, he added. Hu stressed that China's role in shaping international standards not only expands its industrial ecosystem and eases market access for its products but also boosts the compatibility and efficiency of global industrial chains. "Shared standards will also help other nations integrate into mature markets more easily, reduce inefficiencies, and promote mutual benefits," he added. Another SAMR official underscored the pivotal role of standardization in advancing the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), including the development and promotion of international standards to unify technical specifications and achieve mutual recognition with BRI partner countries. For example, as Chinese electric vehicles gain traction globally, 35 Chinese automotive standards—covering safety, battery systems, and charging infrastructure—have been adopted by countries such as Chile, Ecuador, and Nigeria, facilitating international EV trade. Looking ahead, the SAMR is committed to accelerating the development of cutting-edge standards to support new industrialization and deepening standardization cooperation with BRI nations, while increasing the availability of Chinese standards in foreign languages.</section></article>

China's market regulator highlighted on Thursday the country's continuous efforts to improve its advanced manufacturing standards system during the 14th Five-Year Plan period (2021-25), supporting key sectors such as new energy and aerospace while emphasizing its leading role in developing international standards to facilitate global trade.

Achievements in advanced manufacturing standards have become an engine for industrial upgrading and technological innovation, supporting the national economy's high-quality growth and boosting key sectors' global competitiveness, Xiao Han, director of the standards innovation department of the State Administration for Market Regulation (SAMR), told a press briefing, according to a news release on the administration's website.

From 2021 to 2025, more than 4,000 national standards were released in key sectors including integrated circuits, new materials, new-energy vehicles (NEVs), robotics, and aerospace equipment, Xiao said, noting the critical role of these standards in building a modern industrial system and ensuring the security and stability of key industrial and supply chains.

Among the highlights, 491 national standards were issued in the smart manufacturing sector, providing high-quality references for the digital and intelligent transformation of manufacturing enterprises, according to SAMR data.

Progress in the new-energy sector has also been steady. The SAMR said that 95 national standards were released for NEVs, playing a significant role in enhancing coordination across the automotive industry chain, improving production efficiency, and reducing costs. In the solar photovoltaic sector, 221 national standards were introduced, helping to prevent irrational competition and promote high-quality development.

Meanwhile, the SAMR data showed that nearly 20 percent of all group standards focus on advanced manufacturing areas such as next-generation information technology and high-end equipment manufacturing, providing essential support for industrial upgrading and technological innovation.

These advances came amid the Chinese government's ongoing efforts during the 14th Five-Year Plan period to advance high-end, intelligent, and green manufacturing, accelerating the country's transformation into a manufacturing powerhouse.

As China's industrial system becomes more complex and specialized, the development of high-end manufacturing increasingly relies on standards to ensure smooth coordination across the supply chain, Hu Qimu, deputy secretary-general of the Forum 50 for Digital-Real Economies Integration, told the Global Times on Thursday.

"China's emphasis on manufacturing standards for key industries shows the country's more systematic and scientific approach to setting national standards," Hu said, stressing that this will help reduce redundant investments caused by inconsistent standards, boost coordination efficiency, and drive faster industrial upgrades and high-quality economic growth.

Over the past five years, China has steadily bolstered its manufacturing standards system. In 2024, four departments, including the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT), jointly issued a three-year action plan emphasizing the role of standards in promoting high-end supply, rational structure, green development, digital transformation, and system security in the raw materials industry.

The National Standardization Administration and the MIIT issued a notice on July 1, 2025, requiring the building of a high-quality standards system for industrial mother machines by 2026, seeking to enhance product quality, facilitate equipment upgrades, and strengthen the resilience and security of the industrial mother machine supply chain.

Following the notice, the SAMR announced a series of national standards for emerging industries, with seven standards supporting artificial intelligence, information technology, and the Internet of Things to drive digital service growth, and five standards for data centers, cybersecurity technologies, and software engineering to foster greater integration and connectivity across the digital economy, the Xinhua News Agency reported.

At Thursday's briefing, Xiao also pointed to achievements made in developing international standards to enhance industrial competitiveness under the 14th Five-Year Plan. From 2021 to 2025, China proposed 880 international standard initiatives in fields such as NEVs, new power systems, and aerospace, and led the formulation of 532 international standards.

Meanwhile, China actively promoted compatibility between domestic and international standards systems, converting 4,210 advanced and applicable international standards into national standards. The conversion rate of global standards in key areas exceeded 90 percent, the official said.

"China-led international standards in advanced manufacturing fields like smart manufacturing, nanomanufacturing, smart grids, and new-energy storage systems are steadily breaking down technical barriers through global standardization efforts," Xiao said.

These standards provide a compliance framework and quality assurance for China's high-end equipment, key components, and large-scale equipment sets to access global markets, boosting the comparability and competitiveness of Chinese products worldwide, he added.

Hu stressed that China's role in shaping international standards not only expands its industrial ecosystem and eases market access for its products but also boosts the compatibility and efficiency of global industrial chains. "Shared standards will also help other nations integrate into mature markets more easily, reduce inefficiencies, and promote mutual benefits," he added.

Another SAMR official underscored the pivotal role of standardization in advancing the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), including the development and promotion of international standards to unify technical specifications and achieve mutual recognition with BRI partner countries.

For example, as Chinese electric vehicles gain traction globally, 35 Chinese automotive standards—covering safety, battery systems, and charging infrastructure—have been adopted by countries such as Chile, Ecuador, and Nigeria, facilitating international EV trade.

Looking ahead, the SAMR is committed to accelerating the development of cutting-edge standards to support new industrialization and deepening standardization cooperation with BRI nations, while increasing the availability of Chinese standards in foreign languages.