As part of China's commitments for the entry into the World Trade Organization, the China Compulsory Certification (CCC) was implemented last year and the two former marks, the CCIB for Product Safety and the CCEE product approval mark which certified products for import and export were retired.

Since the implementation of the CCC became effective from the 1 August 2003, a total of 149,655 certifications have been issued by the end of August 2004. The certificates have been issued to 137,671 domestically made products but only to 11,684 imported products. Out of 15,818 factory inspections only 628 took place abroad. The statistics alone show that the new CCC of China has not found a broad acceptance in its first year with international companies.

The Product Groups

The CCC mark applies to all catalogue covered products which can be marketed, imported or used in China. Failure or delay in getting certification for the catalogue covered products will result in hefty fines.

The current catalogue of 132 product categories is divided into 19 product groups.

" Electrical wires and cables
" Switches for circuits and installation protective and connection devices
" Low voltage electrical apparatus
" Small power motors
" Electrical tools
" Welding machines
" Household and similar electrical appliances
" Audio and video apparatus
" Information technology equipment
" Lighting apparatus
" Telecommunication terminal equipment
" Motor vehicle and safety parts
" Motor vehicles tyres
" Safety glasses
" Agricultural machinery
" Latex products
" Medical devices
" Fire fighting equipment and detectors
" Detectors for intruder alarm system

The Director of the Department for Certification under the China National Certification and Accreditation Administration (CNCA) announced in September that more product groups will be added next year.

From 1 August 2005, solvent coatings for wood ware, porcelain tiles and concrete admixtures will be added to the catalogue list, and intrusion detectors, burglar alarm control units, vehicle security alarm systems and burglar-resistant safes from 1 October, 2005.

The Application

Since the implementation of the CCC, small and medium sized international enterprises with no representation in China experienced difficulties in the application procedures. Many international companies had to fight their way through the rules and regulations, especially as the authorities initially published these in the Chinese language. Most information is now available in English on the websites dedicated to the CCC and the website of the China Quality Certification Centre (CQC).

The Certification begins with an application submitted to the CQC, which is based in Beijing. The CQC was assigned as one of the nine institutes for the certification by the CNCA and it is in charge of 16 of the 19 product groups. If unsure which institute has to be contacted for a specific product group, the application can be handed in to the CQC and will then be forwarded to the designated institute.

The certification institute assigns a testing laboratory in China where the sample of the product will have to be sent to by the applicant. No test conducted by foreign testing laboratories is currently accepted, with very few exceptions. The CNCA only accepts foreign certification laboratories if the product can not be transported or if the assigned laboratory does not have the required testing equipment.

The standards for the sample testing, called Guo Bao (GB) standards, are mainly based on the IEC standards. Some of the standards however have no corresponding international standard. The international manufacturer therefore has to translate and study the GB standards to ensure his product is manufactured to CCC standards.

Once the sample test has been conducted, a factory inspection is scheduled for Chinese auditors. Even though the GB standards for the factory audit are again almost identically to the ISO 9001 requirements, already existing international certifications are not accepted.

Challenges and Difficulties for International Companies

For international Companies importing their products to China, the CCC procedure is too time consuming. The factory inspections are burdensome and a major source of delay. The application can take up to 6-8 month.

In the first seven month of this year, the trade volume between China and the EU has reached 96 billion US Dollars, making the EU and its 25 member countries China's biggest trade partner. On September 20, the EU and China held a joint working conference in Beijing to exchange their views and discuss simplifying the procedures.

Wang Feng Quing, Director of the CNCA said that it is in both sides interest to further cooperation in certification and conformity assessment, especially the CCC. "China also hopes to learn from the EU's advanced experience in such aspects" she said.
Jean Paul Mingasson, Director General of the European Commission's Enterprise Directorate - General urged China in the seminar that further improvements in the certification terms and procedures will facilitate bilateral trade.

Enrico Malcovati, secretary general of Italian Mechanical Engineering Associations outlined that not only is the application procedure too time consuming, but also pointed out that the information about the CCC could be improved. Factory inspections, for example could be done by accredited International bodies. Also no inspections should be necessary where companies have already been certified according to international standards.

Liu Wijun responded that the administration will perfect its website to improve transparency and obtaining information, as well as adding more agencies and open online certification.

The flowchart of CQC Product Certification shown above and further information to the product catalogue and application procedure can be found on www.ccc-cn.org and www.cqc.com.cn.

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