Zhang Xiaogang, president of the International Organization for Standardization (ISO), addresses the opening ceremony of the 39th ISO General Assembly in Beijing, capital of China, Sept. 12, 2016. (Photo: Xinhua/Zhang Yuwei)
Chinese President Xi Jinping said the country is willing to cooperate with other countries on improving international standards.
China will proactively implement a strategy on standardization to make standards drive innovative, coordinated, green, open and shared development, Xi said in a congratulatory letter to the 39th General Assembly of the International Organization for Standardization (ISO).
The opening ceremony of the meeting was held in Beijing on Monday.
International standards provide specifications for products, services and systems to ensure quality, safety and efficiency.
Xi said that amid deepening globalization, standardization plays an increasingly important role in facilitating trade, boosting industrial development and technological innovation, and improving social governance.
China is willing to deepen cooperation with other countries and enhance exchanges to improve the international standards system, he noted.
Founded in 1947, ISO is the world's largest developer and publisher of international standards. It has published over 21,000 international standards covering almost every aspect of technology and manufacturing.
Xi said international standards form the technological basis of the global governance system and international economic and trade cooperation. As the world's most authoritative organization for publishing international standards, ISO's publications have global recognition.
He called on the meeting participants to consider how standardization should play a positive role in improving global governance and promoting sustainable development.
The 39th General Assembly of the ISO is being held in Beijing from Sept. 9 to 14. Nearly 700 delegates from 163 ISO members and more than 20 regional and international organizations are attending the meeting.
