On March 1, the kickoff meeting for the “China Standards 2035” project was held at the Chinese Academy of Engineering, marking the official launch of a major strategic initiative, policy measure, and institutional arrangement in China’s standardization field. The meeting was chaired by Zhao Xiangeng, Vice President of the Chinese Academy of Engineering and head of the project. Li Xiaohong, Secretary of the Party Leadership Group of the Chinese Academy of Engineering, and Qin Yizhi, Deputy Director of the General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine, attended and delivered speeches. Also in attendance were Zhu Gaofeng and Wang Liheng, deputy heads of the project; Zhang Gang, former Counselor to the State Council; and Chinese Academy of Engineering Academicians Wang Haizhou, Chen Xuedong, and Yin Weilun, as well as experts such as Zhang Xiaogang from the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) and members of the project research teams. During the meeting, Yu Xinli, Wu Hequan, Gong Ke, Gan Yong, and Wang Kunsheng each presented implementation plans on behalf of the project team and the four sub-projects, respectively. The attending academicians and experts unanimously agreed that the project’s design is highly timely and that its research agenda is of great significance.

　　Prior to the kickoff meeting, Zhi Shuping, Administrator of the General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine, met with Zhou Ji, President of the Chinese Academy of Engineering; Li Xiaohong, Secretary of the Party Leadership Group of the Chinese Academy of Engineering; and a number of academicians and experts. Zhi Shuping pointed out that the 19th National Congress of the Communist Party of China made the major judgment that China’s economy has shifted from a phase of high-speed growth to one of high-quality development, and set forth the fundamental requirements for promoting high-quality development. To meet these fundamental requirements, standards are of paramount importance: only high standards can deliver high quality. In line with the spirit of the 19th National Congress, the General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine and the National Standardization Administration have launched “China Standards 2035,” a forward-looking and strategically significant research initiative. The success of this research is inseparable from the collaborative support of authoritative institutions. As the Chinese Academy of Engineering is an honorary and advisory academic body in China’s engineering and technological community, and given the strong foundation of cooperation between the two sides as well as the series of cooperative achievements already attained, the Chinese Academy of Engineering has been entrusted with leading the research on this project. It is hoped that both sides will leverage their respective strengths and expertise to jointly carry out this highly significant strategic undertaking.

　　Li Xiaohong pointed out that, entrusted by the General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine, the Chinese Academy of Engineering has launched the major advisory project “China Standards 2035,” which is an important initiative for leveraging the Academy’s role as a think tank for engineering science and technology and a high-end policy advisory body, and for implementing the spirit of the 19th National Congress of the Communist Party of China. He emphasized the need to adopt a broad perspective, align with the report of the 19th National Congress, elevate the strategic positioning of the research, and strive to produce landmark strategic advisory findings that provide accurate, forward-looking, and timely recommendations to the central authorities.

　　Zhao Xiangeng urged all research teams to promptly carry out their research in accordance with the work plan, so as to contribute high-quality research outcomes to the formulation of China’s standardization strategy.

　　According to reports, Dai Hong, Director of the Second Division for Industrial Standards at the National Standardization Administration Committee, stated that the Committee will focus on implementing one strategy, two initiatives, and three projects. The single strategy is to advance the “China Standards 2035” initiative. This initiative comprises four research topics: a comprehensive topic on “Research on the Strategic Positioning and Objectives of Standardization,” as well as three specialized topics—“Research on China’s Standardization System, Methods, and Evaluation,” “Strategic Research on a Standardization System Supporting High-Quality Development,” and “Strategic Research on the Integration of Military and Civilian Standardization.” The project is scheduled to complete its final report by the end of January 2020, with the anticipated outcome being a comprehensive research report on the “China Standards 2035” initiative, which will be submitted to the State Council as a proposal for implementing a standardization strategy.