Original title: Provincial integrated service alliance for domestic and foreign trade testing and certification established
Guangdong supports foreign trade enterprises in domestic market expansion
June 9 marks the 18th World Accreditation Day. Guangdong Province hosted promotional activities for its 2025 World Accreditation Day observance and initiatives supporting foreign trade enterprises’ domestic market expansion. The event featured the launch of 17 concrete measures by the Guangdong Provincial Administration for Market Regulation to accelerate domestic-foreign trade integration, including on-site policy briefings and service resource matchmaking.
At the event, the Guangdong Integrated Service Alliance for Domestic and Foreign Trade Testing and Certification was officially launched. Eight certification bodies jointly announced a service commitment to establish a “green channel” for mandatory product certification of goods transitioning from export to domestic sales.
17 specific measures to boost domestic market access for foreign trade enterprises
Testing, inspection, and certification (TIC) form a critical component of national quality infrastructure, serving as internationally recognized quality management tools and trade facilitation mechanisms. As China’s manufacturing and foreign trade powerhouse, Guangdong currently hosts 376 certification bodies and leads the nation with 87 national inspection centers strategically aligned with industrial clusters, complemented by 233 provincial-level testing stations. This constitutes a comprehensive public technical service platform system covering all major industrial sectors at national and provincial levels. Guangdong pioneered China’s first national testing & inspection high-tech service cluster, ranking first nationally in: total TIC institutions, aggregate industry revenue, certified entities, and valid certification certificates.
At Guangdong’s 2025 World Accreditation Day event, Guangdong Provincial Administration for Market Regulation unveiled 17 concrete measures to support foreign trade enterprises’ domestic market expansion. These measures cover six key areas: optimizing market access services, supporting domestic market expansion, strengthening corporate compliance management, supporting brand building, promoting the integration of domestic and foreign trade, and enhancing regulatory enforcement efficiency.
In addition, the Administration provided on-site policy briefings on facilitation arrangements related to market access, such as the self-declaration of conformity with mandatory standards for products transitioning from export to domestic sales, green channels for mandatory product certification, and industrial product production licenses. Dedicated zones were set up for domestic and foreign trade testing and certification services, as well as service areas for products transitioning from export to domestic sales, offering face-to-face guidance and Q&A support for enterprises.
During the event, the Guangdong WTO/TBT Notification and Inquiry Research Center, in collaboration with 16 leading inspection and certification institutions, initiated the establishment of the Guangdong Integrated Testing and Certification Service Alliance for Domestic and Foreign Trade. Eight certification bodies jointly released a service commitment to provide a green channel for mandatory certification of products transitioning from export to domestic sales. Relevant institutions also shared successful case studies and experiences in helping enterprises “go global” through inspection, testing, and certification services.
The alliance put forward a proposal on site, pledging to strictly adhere to professional standards, conduct inspection and certification activities in a standardized manner, actively expand international accreditation capabilities and service coverage, and strengthen mutual recognition of testing and certification results. The goal is to provide enterprises and products with localized, one-stop services to support international expansion and effectively serve as a “passport” for global trade.
A representative from CVC Testing and Certification Co., Ltd. (CVC) stated that in recent years, the company has accelerated its internationalization process through a strategy of “exporting technology.” It has been deeply involved in the development of energy efficiency standards and conformity assessment systems for household appliances in the Gulf region. CVC Gulf, established in the United Arab Emirates, has issued over 500 energy efficiency certificates for the Gulf region to companies such as Midea, Hisense, Homa, and Sharbo. Compared to other Middle Eastern countries, the certification cycle has been shortened from one to two months to within two weeks, reducing enterprises’ annual verification costs by more than 2 million RMB.
102 products certified through “same production line, same standards, same quality” third-party evaluation or self-declaration
According to information shared at the event, in recent years, the Guangdong Provincial Administration for Market Regulation has fully leveraged its regulatory functions to vigorously promote the integration of domestic and foreign trade testing and certification services, supporting the establishment of a new “dual circulation” development pattern.
In efforts to enhance the integrated testing and certification services for both domestic and foreign trade, Guangdong has supported and guided testing and certification institutions to join international mutual recognition systems. These institutions have been encouraged to expand their qualifications and service coverage across both domestic and international markets, providing enterprises with “localized, one-stop” testing and certification services. Currently, the province has 2,786 testing and certification institutions and laboratories accredited by CNAS, 3 national certification bodies recognized under the IECEE-CB international mutual recognition system, and 110 CB testing laboratories.
As part of the in-depth promotion of integrated testing and certification services for domestic and foreign trade, Guangdong has established a provincial-level platform and resource database for the integrated development of such services. Comparative studies on technical standards and certification requirements for domestic and foreign trade products have been conducted, and over 5,000 items of technical standards and certification information have been collected and released. Additionally, 58 public training sessions under the “Knowledge Lectures on Domestic and Foreign Trade Testing and Certification” program have been held, training 54,000 enterprise managers to help businesses stay informed and proactively address technical trade barriers.
Moreover, Guangdong continues to optimize its mandatory product certification services. Certification bodies have been guided to establish green channels for certifying products transitioning from export to domestic sales. So far, over 360 mandatory product certification certificates have been issued for more than 160 enterprises, covering 16 categories including home appliances, electronics, and toys. On average, these measures have reduced certification costs by 40% and shortened certification time by 30%.
Guangdong is also working in coordination with Hong Kong and Macao to advance the “Greater Bay Area Certification” initiative. Certification bodies from the three regions have issued 135 “Greater Bay Area Certification” certificates in sectors such as agricultural and food products, and industrial consumer goods. A number of certified products have been launched in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao markets, promoting the circulation of high-quality goods within the Greater Bay Area. Enterprises are encouraged to develop products that follow the principle of “same production line, same standards, same quality.” Businesses are guided to produce goods for both domestic and international markets according to the same standards. So far, 102 products from 71 enterprises across the province have passed third-party evaluations or made self-declarations under this principle.
Going forward, the Provincial Administration for Market Regulation will continue to strengthen policy integration and innovation, coordinating administrative and technical service resources. By expanding online and offline service channels, optimizing workflows, and reducing processing times, the goal is to minimize the time and financial costs for foreign trade enterprises to enter the domestic market, and to actively eliminate institutional barriers that hinder the integrated development of domestic and foreign trade.
