That was the message from Wang Fengqing, director of the Certification and Accreditation Administration (CNCA), at Monday's opening ceremony of the 66th General Meeting of the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) in Beijing.

"The task is pressing now that China has become a member of the World Trade Organization (WTO)," Wang said.

IEC is the leading global organization that prepares and publishes international standards for all electrical, electronic and related technologies. China joined the IEC in 1957.

About 1500 representatives from 61 countries are attending the 66th IEC General Meeting, which will continue in Beijing until Friday.

The meeting is hosted by the General Administration for Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine (AQSIQ) and is supported by Standardization Administration of China and CNCA.

Wang said an internationally recognized quality control system is the key to upgrading China's products and breaking technical trade barriers.

China expects to have adopted all standards set by IEC within three years, except those not applicable to China, said Wang, who is also chairperson of IEC China National Committee.

"We have so far adopted 1,911, or 45.8 per cent of IEC standards. By the end of 2005, China will have adopted all the remaining IEC standards, excluding those not applicable to China, as national standards," said Wang.

To effectively address increasing instances of technical trade barriers, Chinese manufacturers will speed up the adoption of internationally established advanced standards, she added.

(China Daily October 29, 2002)