A fruitful week for Sino-German QI dialogue: Two working groups, one shared commitment to making trade work better

Organized under the joint leadership of Germany's Bundesministerium für Wirtschaft und Energie (BMWE) and China's State Administration for Market Regulation (SAMR), the working group meetings brought together more than 40 experts per event from government, technical institutions, and industry at the China National Institute of Standardization (CNIS).

On June 16, the annual meeting of the Sino-German Working Group on Accreditation and Conformity Assessment (AGAKB) took place at the Chinese National Institute of Standardization (CNIS).
On June 17, the Working Group on Product Safety and Market Surveillance (AGPS) followed at the same venue.

At AGAKB, the focus was on building the technical foundations that underpin trust in international trade:

• Progress on mutual recognition of accreditation systems and conformity assessment procedures
• Exchange on current developments in international accreditation frameworks
• Identification of remaining technical and regulatory barriers and concrete steps to address them
• Coordination on joint positions ahead of upcoming international standardization discussions

At AGPS, the conversation went beyond routine regulatory updates. Participants tackled the decisive questions:

• how current enforcement practices develop?
• how digital tools are reshaping risk-based market surveillance, and
• how both sides can better coordinate as new product categories emerge faster than legislation can keep up.

Across both sessions, what stood out was not just the substance, but the spirit in the room. The depth and constructiveness of the dialogue reflected years of trust built through this bilateral working group format. Therefore, our thanks to all participants, institutions, and experts who brought their knowledge and commitment to the table.