CHINA CCC MARK ENFORCEMENT DELAYED FROM MAY 1 TO AUGUST 1, 2003

AQISQ and CNCA Announce Postponement of CCC Mark Enforcement

China’s State General Administration of Quality Supervision and Inspection and Quarantine (AQSIQ) and Certification and Accreditation Administration (CNCA) on April 25, 2003 published at its website: www.cnca.gov.cn the Announcement No. 38 postponing the mandatory enforcement date of the CCC Mark from May 1, 2003 to August 1, 2003. The decision was made on April 23, 2003.

Announcement No. 38 (2003)

The Announcement reads, “This is to announce that, out of some objective reasons, the compulsory product certification process of application, sample delivery and factory inspection has been impacted, it is hereby decided to postpone the mandatory date of the compulsory product certification from May 1^st 2003 to August 1^st 2003. During this period, applicants are encouraged to do online applications; those who have already obtained certificates can purchase labels by mail order from the Label Dispersion Center.”

Mail-Order CCC Mark Labels Available for Current CCC Mark Holders

CNCA also posted on its website the procedures to mail order CCC Mark Labels as follows:

Applicant faxes a copy of its CCC certificate and label purchasing application to the Label Dispersion Management Center at fax numbers: 8610 8563-3686 or 8610 8561-9049;

Upon receipt of the fax from the applicant, the Label Dispersion Management Center will fax a copy of an invoice (payment notification) to the applicant;

the applicant can then wire transfer money to the payee according to the information contained in the invoice (name of payee, bank account and total amount payable);

After receipt of payment, the Label Dispersion Management Center will mail the labels to the applicant.

Industry Sources Indicate SARS Causes the Delay

Industry sources believe that SARS is the major reason for this delay. As Beijing is one of the cities most seriously affected by SARS, officials from China Quality Center (CQC), which is designated by CNCA to handle applications and factory inspection in relation to CCC mark system, have experienced problems traveling out of China to conduct factory inspection. The U.S. Commercial Service in Beijing learned that CNCA is requesting about 20 foreign certification bodies it has worked with in the past to conduct factory inspection on behalf of CNCA.

CONTACT THE U.S. DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

U.S. exporters with questions about the CCC mark can contact the Commerce Department for more information about CCC mark rules, as well as other questions about China's regulatory system and its standards. The Commerce Department is the principal advocate for American enterprises doing business overseas, and also serves as an information resource for exporters.

For general information about the CCC Mark, including which products require the mark and how to apply, please visit the Commerce Department’s China Desk “Exporter’s Guide to the CCC Mark.”

Contact the Commerce Department's China Desk with any questions about the CCC mark and other Chinese standards and certification requirements.

Timothy Wineland
TBT and Standards Specialist
Office of the Chinese Economic Area
International Trade Administration
U.S. Department of Commerce
Washington, DC 20230
Telephone: 202-482-5316
Facsimile: 202-482-1576
E-Mail: Timothy_Wineland@ita.doc.gov