China-Africa Standardization Cooperation Conference Held in Beijing
Date: 11 11, 2026
On November 9, the plenary session of the China-Africa Standardization Cooperation Conference was held in Beijing. Themed "Promoting High-Quality China-Africa Cooperation through 'Soft Connectivity' of Standards," the meeting was attended by Deng Zhiyong, Vice Minister of the State Administration for Market Regulation and Administrator of the Standardization Administration of China, and Khalid Soufi, President of the International Organization for Standardization (ISO), who delivered remarks.
The overall characterization of China-Africa relations has been elevated to an all-weather China-Africa community with a shared future for the new era. Pragmatic progress has been made in China-Africa standardization cooperation, yielding fruitful results. China has signed standardization cooperation documents with countries such as Egypt, Morocco, Senegal, and Zambia, as well as regional organizations like the African Regional Organization for Standardization (ARSO). Additionally, 100,000 mu (approx. 6,667 hectares) of agricultural standardization cooperation demonstration zones have been established. A regular arrangement for sharing standardization information between China and Africa now covers 16 countries, with a cumulative collection of over 90,000 standard titles and more than 9,000 standard texts.
The meeting proposed three directions for cooperation:
Supporting Africa's modernization: Promoting the application of standards in key areas such as environmental protection, resource development, infrastructure, and digital intelligence.
Facilitating economic trade and industrial cooperation: Strengthening the coordination of standards for key products including agricultural product, mechanical and electrical products, and new energy vehicles, while advancing the construction of the China-Africa Standardization Cooperation and Research Center.
Improving global standardization governance: Enhancing coordination within the frameworks of the ISO and the IEC, and jointly promoting the development of international standards in areas such as poverty alleviation, industrial and supply chain cooperation, and renewable energy, making China-Africa standardization cooperation a vivid model of how standards can promote global sustainable development.
The meeting released the development vision and key cooperation plan for the China-Africa Standardization Cooperation and Research Center, conducted exchanges of bilateral cooperation documents, and launched the China-Africa Standard Information Platform. The Blue Book on China-Africa Standardization Cooperation Development and case studies of cooperation practices were also released.
The meeting was hosted by the China National Institute of Standardization. Relevant officials from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Commerce, State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission of the State Council and the State Administration for Market Regulation, as well as representatives from international organizations such as UNEP, research institutions, and Chinese and foreign enterprises attend the meeting.