During this year’s Two Sessions, which are of great importance in the country’s political calendar, representatives from all walks of life gathered in Beijing in March to discuss important topics of common concerns. Their insights and voices of the vital role of standards in supporting high-quality development are showcased in the SPECIAL REPORT column.

State Administration for Market Regulation (SAMR) will take effective measures to safeguard people’s food safety, by meeting the “four strictest requirements” of food safety including the most rigorous standards proposed by Xi Jinping, General Secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, according to Luo Wen, Minister of SAMR.

In the EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW column, with a number of overarching trends playing out in today’s standardization landscape, Mr. S. Joe Bhatia, ANSI President and CEO, introduced the challenges and opportunities of ANSI in the working priorities such as the Evolving Standards Landscape initiative, international standardization, standards education, and participation of consumers.

“In standards, all voices add value and we strive to bring everyone to the table. And with so much growth and changes in standardization, building a robust pipeline of skilled and effective standards participants at every level is imperative. ANSI has been keenly focusing on building that capacity, and attracting and upskilling the next generation of standards professionals,” Bhatia stressed.

The first China Standardization Conference was held in late March in Nanjing, capital of East China’s Jiangsu province, which highlighted the close relationship between standards and a unified market. It is expected to become a platform for high-end standardization think tank, cooperation and exchange of domestic and international standardization work, and standardization knowledge promotion.

Another national focus recently is the unveiling of China Standards Innovation and Contribution Award 2022. The top national award in the standardization field is presented to organizations and inpiduals with outstanding contribution to the standardization work at industrial, national and international levels. You can find the list of winners in the FEATURES column.

With both national and international efforts, the voices of standards are and will be heard across the globe.