Briefs | Analyses n° 12: Technical Standards: A New Realm of China’s International Influence?

As its firms become more competitive, China is increasingly well positioned to define the standards that will shape the industries of the future. This shift is not only a consequence of its growing economic importance, but also the result of clear policy orientations. While historically the Chinese party state has used technical standards to protect domestic markets, official texts increasingly present them as instruments of international influence. China has made concerted efforts to not only boost key technical standards of its own, but has moved to proactively integrate the forums of international standards development while forging its own path. In the May 2021 issue of Briefs|Analyses, Dr. Tim Rühlig sheds light on the PRC’s growing strength in standard setting and how it reshapes the very nature of international standardization.