Online exchange on regulatory challenges in trading with China

In business with China, divergent standards, double certification requirements and unclear regulatory procedures often pose major obstacles for companies. As a result of the Corona Pandemic, regulatory changes are often approved in a hurry, especially in the field of medical protective equipment. For foreign companies, these changes are often difficult to understand. With the webinar "Regulatory challenges in doing business with China" in cooperation with the OAV, the team of the Global Project Quality Infrastructure (GPQI) presented current regulatory changes as well as GPQI support offers to the participants.

First, Johannes Braun, head of the Global Project Quality Infrastructure, introduced the participants of the webinar to the basic working methods of the global project. In particular, the principles of bilateral cooperation to reduce technical barriers to trade were explained. Subsequently, Frieder Mecklenburg, deputy head of the GPQI country component China, presented the COVID-19 support offer of the project by means of current practical examples.

The enormous increase in demand for protective masks caused by the pandemic is largely covered by masks from China. Importing authorities in Germany often do not have the possibility to verify the authenticity of the enclosed test reports on mask standards. GPQI China has established a verification mechanism to support German market surveillance authorities. With the help of Chinese databases or through direct exchange with Chinese authorities, more than 100 orders have already been verified. Of these, only about 40% of the audited test reports were identified as authentic, which highlights the need for separate verification.

For questions regarding the import of protective equipment, current regulatory developments, or to discuss possible support options, please contact the GPQI team in China at qi-china@giz.de.