15th Five-Year Plan Policy Signal | Standards and Quality: The Confidence That Enables Enterprises to Navigate Competitive Cycles

Recently, the State Council Information Office held a press conference on the theme “Laying the Foundation for the 15th Five-Year Plan.” The State Administration for Market Regulation stated clearly that metrology, Standards, certification, and accreditation Inspection and testing together constitute the national quality infrastructure; in response to “involutionary” low‑price competition, a comprehensive approach will be adopted. Standard-setting and quality oversight , price enforcement is being rectified and guided through multiple measures.

01 After 29,000 items, the window for price‑based competition is narrowing.

29,000 items This was disclosed at the press conference: As of the end of August, the number of illegal cases involving substandard and low-priced products investigated nationwide under this year’s special campaign to crack down on such practices.

Another set of data worthy of corporate attention: This year, for the first time, the Office of the National Coordination and Promotion Leading Group for Building a Country Strong in Quality conducted quality inspections, focusing on the quality risks arising from “involutionary” competition and identifying… 153 All leads have been handed over to the local authorities for handling.

The policy direction is crystal clear: by coordinating price enforcement, quality oversight, and standard-setting, we will shift market competition from a race to the bottom driven by low prices to one that prioritizes quality and efficiency.

02 Policy Prioritizes Four Key Areas

Standard supply is being stepped up. Accelerate the updating and upgrading of standards for traditional industries, advance the development of standards for emerging and future industries, and strengthen the binding force of mandatory standards. During the 15th Five-Year Plan period, it is planned to formulate or revise no fewer than… national standards. 20,000 items , of which the number of mandatory national standards shall be no less than 1,000 items , conduct no less than 200 A pilot project for the overseas application of Chinese standards.

Quality oversight is tightening. send Leverage the role of quality inspection as a key enforcement tool, intensify product supervision and random sampling inspections, strengthen oversight of defective product recalls, and ensure that enterprises fully assume their primary responsibility for quality.

Enhance the value of certification and accreditation Improve the certification and accreditation system; promote the wider acceptance of certification results in administrative regulation, market procurement, supply chains, and other areas; and establish a long-term mechanism to combat fraudulent certification and the buying and selling of certificates.

Promote the development of quality‑driven enterprises, robust industrial chains, and strong counties. Promote the upgrade of quality infrastructure services from a “one-stop” model to an “integrated” approach, guiding enterprises to translate standard alignment and system development into enhanced risk resilience and market competitiveness.

Behind the provision of 20,000 standards lies the reality that, in the coming years, a large number of enterprises will face standard revisions and compliance‑driven rectification efforts. Proactive benchmarking can help mitigate the operational pressures associated with reactive adjustments.

03 “Obtaining certification” is not the end; the core lies in the system’s “practicality.”

At the press conference, the Deputy Director-General of the State Administration for Market Regulation Bundle for Propose: Certification and accreditation serve to foster market trust and function as the “letter of credit” of the market economy. In the realm of corporate management practice, three practical shifts have emerged:

The scope of acceptance for certification results continues to expand. Certificates are no longer merely pieces of paper on the wall; they are increasingly becoming critical credentials accepted in government procurement, supply-chain access, and administrative regulatory processes.

The value of international mutual recognition is becoming increasingly evident. As domestic and international standards converge and China’s standardization pilot programs gain traction overseas, a company’s ability to align with global regulatory frameworks directly shapes the success of its international expansion.

The risk prevention and control function of the management system has become even more critical. Under the backdrop of increasingly stringent regulatory oversight, a robust and continuously effective management system helps enterprises proactively manage quality risks and mitigate operational hazards such as non‑compliance in random inspections.

04 For policies to be effectively implemented at the enterprise level, professional technology transfer is essential.

Macroeconomic policy requires that through… Conformity assessment body Complete the technology transfer and translate it into actionable management practices for the enterprise.

In response to the national policy direction of strengthening standards‑driven development and advancing the building of a quality‑oriented nation, as a professional third‑party certification body, Beijing United Intelligence Industry Certification Co., Ltd. (UICC) Grounded in the national requirements for quality infrastructure, and leveraging three decades of industry expertise, an extensive domestic and international service network, and a team of over a thousand highly skilled professionals, we uphold the highest standards of impartiality and credibility. We help organizations align with national standards and international frameworks, iteratively refine their management systems, and strengthen the foundations of quality control. By facilitating certification and accreditation, we build trust, empower enterprises to seize policy-driven opportunities, and cultivate sustainable core competencies.

If your organization’s existing system documentation has not yet been aligned with the latest standards, or if you are facing challenges in gaining market access for exports or in implementing corrective measures to align your systems with relevant requirements, please feel free to contact us.