On the morning of July 21, the State Administration for Market Regulation (SAMR) held a press conference dedicated to the development of the inspection and testing service industry during the "14th Five-Year Plan" period. Kuang Xu, Director of the Department of Accreditation and Testing at SAMR, stated at the conference that the industry still faces multiple challenges; illegal and non-compliant practices-such as falsified or inaccurate testing-occur from time to time, undermining the industry's credibility.
Kuang Xu noted that while the inspection and testing industry achieved leapfrog development during the "14th Five-Year Plan" period, challenges remain: the industry's overall level of specialization is insufficient, and its capacity to support industrial development is inadequate. Compared to advanced international standards, my country's inspection and testing industry lacks significant international influence and brand competitiveness.
To address these issues, Kuang Xu stated that during the "15th Five-Year Plan" period, the State Administration for Market Regulation (SAMR) will adhere to the principles of "prioritizing regulation, grounding in quality, building on capability, and upholding integrity," focusing efforts in four key areas:
First, enhancing industry credibility. SAMR will improve the full-chain regulatory mechanism covering pre-approval, in-process, and post-approval stages; advance comprehensive industry governance; deepen targeted rectification in high-risk areas; and refine systems for the coordination of administrative and criminal enforcement, dual investigations (investigating both the violation and the underlying cause), industry entry bans, public warnings, and joint disciplinary actions. Additionally, it will launch an initiative to upgrade "smart" regulatory capabilities, build a smart regulatory platform, and improve the level of penetrating and intelligent supervision.
Second, strengthening technical support capabilities. SAMR will implement pilot programs using inspection and testing to drive industrial optimization, upgrading, and innovation, alongside a three-year action plan to enhance the quality of national quality inspection centers. It will proactively establish high-level testing platforms for strategic emerging industries-such as integrated circuits, new energy, biomedicine, and humanoid robots-and drive service model innovation through digital transformation.
Third, expanding international influence. SAMR will actively participate in and lead the formulation of international conformity assessment rules and promote the establishment of "white lists" for the mutual recognition of inspection and testing results with Belt and Road partner countries and Free Trade Agreement partners.
Fourth, boosting brand competitiveness. SAMR will encourage large and medium-sized institutions with strong overall capabilities to grow and strengthen through resource integration, mergers and acquisitions, and strategic partnerships. It will also improve mechanisms for the acceptance and use of inspection and testing results across diverse scenarios, thereby enhancing the industry's market value.
